MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti) — A total of 97.8 percent of chemicals removed from Syria earlier this year have been destroyed, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported Monday.
According to the organization, 100 percent of Category 1 chemicals (most lethal and dangerous) and 88.8 percent of Category 2 chemicals (less dangerous) have been eliminated.
Overall, 1,279 of the 1,308 metric tons of chemicals have been destroyed as of October 20.
In August 2013, an unprecedented chemical attack in rebel-held eastern Ghouta, a suburb of the Syrian capital, killed nearly 1,500 civilians. Both insurgents and the Syrian government blamed each other for the attack.
Following the tragedy, US President Barack Obama urged Congress to sanction a limited military operation to prevent the proliferation of chemical weapons in the region. However, when the United States and Russia reached a landmark deal to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal, Damascus said it would voluntarily get rid of the toxic weapons itself. Nearly all the chemical stockpile Syria declared was destroyed on a converted US cargo ship, the Cape Ray.
