An overview of chlorine cylinders used by Syrian armed forces
The Assad regime many times used yellow coloured cannisters/cylinders which were dropped by helicopters. In most cases the cylinders contained chlorine. This post provides an overview. The footage shows that those yellow cylinders were in some cases only slightly damaged after being dropped by a helicopter. In some case the cylinder was burned or heavily rusted
I copied some of the information from this thread on Twitter. HRW documented the use of chlorine filled cylinders used in Aleppo.
This is not a complete overview of cylinders used for chlorine attacks in Syria.
Photo of cylinders seen in facility inspected by OPCW
OPCW inspected in October 2013 a Syrian facility. A screenshot of a video shows Syria has yellow cylinders. The same as used in Douma.
The photo below was published in a May 11, 2018 published report by Syrian Network for Human Rights.
Photos of cylinders dropped by helicopters
There are a few photos available which clearly shows a helicopter dropping cylinders. There are more videos available showing helicopters dropping stuff.
This AFP photo shows a Syrian army helicopter drops barrel bombs on a rebel-held area in the southern city of Daraa, on June 14, 2017.
This AFP photo shows a Syrian army helicopter releases barrel bombs over southern Damascus in the area of Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on April 24, 2018.
This AFP photo shows a Syrian army helicopter dropping barrel bombs over the southern Syrian city of Daraa on February 23, 2017
This video shows how a cylinder is dropped from a helicopter flying over Syria
Initially Syrian armed forces used chlorine cylinders into barrel bomb casings as the picture below shows. Later a different metal harnas was used. Daniele Raineri made many photos of barrel bombs in Kafr Zita, Syria, May 2014. Some of the cylinders had the name Nolinco written on it. A Chinese arms factory.
Case 1: Halfaia town in Hama in 2014
Case 2: Kafr Zita town in Hama province, April 2014
Case 3: Chlorine gas tank attack against East-Aleppo. November 2016
Case 4: Chlorine gas tank attack against Juzif town, Idlib province. May 2015
In this case the cylinder is very much damaged.
Case 5: Chlorine gas tank trowed from helicopter against East-Aleppo, November 2016
In this case a helicopter is seen dropping cannister. As a result after the hit a green coloured smoke can be seen. The cannister itself cannot be seen on the video,
Case 6: Chlorine gas tank attack against Kafr Zita town in Hama province, August 2014
A yellow cylinder can be seen standing up in a field. Next to it some plastic bottles and a man is talking. The website Syrian Archive has more details about this attack.
Case 7: Chlorine gas tank attack against Tell Mannas town in Idlib province, July 2014
A heavily deformed cylinder can be seen
Case 8: Chlorine gas tank attack against area near Maarah Al-Numan in Idlib province, April 2014
Case 9: Chlorine gas tank attack against Kafr Zaita in Hama province, April 2015
Fragments of a chlorine gas barrel bomb can be seen in a hole in the ground.
Case 10: Chlorine gas tank trowed from helicopter against Al-Tamanaa town, Idlib province. April 2015
A green coloured smoke can be seen in the video. No footage of the barrel bomb itself. The bomb appears the be dropped from the air but a helicopter is not seen. Sound of a fighterjet can be heard.
Case 11: Chlorine gas tank removed after attack against Khan al-Asal, West Aleppo. 25 August 2017.
This video shows men wearing protective cloths and gasmask. The video shows a yellow cylinder with a vin attached.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ZeRxyc4h0
case 12: Chlorine gas tank mounted on 107mm rocket against Douma (same city hit by the chlorine gas attack on April 7-8 2018), in east Ghouta (Damascus). January 2018
Example of small rockets based on modified Iranian 107mm rockets.
Case 13: Saraqib February 4 2018 chlorine attack
At May 16, 2018 the OPCW released their report of the OPCW Fact Finding Mission on uage of chemical warfare in Saraqib . The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission confirms likely use of Chlorine in Saraqib. In February 2018, at the time of the allegation, the city was not under government control.
The four photos below were published in the OPCW report.
The photos published in the OPCW report have some remarkable detail. The photos below are made of the same yellow cylinder. Mind the arrows pointing to a specific damage of the paint. The patterns on both photos are the same. However in one photo the valve seems to be broken off. The other photo shows some purple stuff which closes the opening of the cylinder. The question is what happened here. Was the purple stuff added to make sure the content of the cylinder would stay inside for investigation purposes?
The photo below was not included in the OPCW report. The cylinder on the left is the one with the pink stuff used to close the hole of the cylinder
A closeup of the cylinder on the right shows likely there was no valve attached to it
The screenshot below was taken from a video released by the White Helmets. It shows a small crater next to it. Is shows a part of the harness likely used to drop the cylinder of a helicopter.
Case 14 ALEPPO : Zabadiyah August 10 2016
Syrian Archive documented this attack in which at least 4 cylinders were used.
Case 15: Latamna Surgical Hospital March 24 2018
A suspected chlorine gas attack on an underground hospital in rebel-held north Hama killed three people and injured dozens on Saturday as regime forces fight to drive back a rebel offensive in the area, local medical personnel told. (source)
More details in this blogpost.
Case 16: Al-Lataminah Hospital, March 25 2017
On March 25, 2017, a helicopter dropped at least one improvised munition filled with chlorine on a makeshift hospital in al-Lataminah, a village in the northern Hama countryside, according to five witnesses whom Human Rights Watch interviewed, and photographs of remnants of munitions.
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blqik-GJzcM
Case 17: Aleppo, 18 November 2016
Explosions of shells likely to carry chlorine, delivered by helicopter during its bombing of the explosive barrel of the Hananu neighborhood in Aleppo, north of the country, on 18 November 2016. (source)
Case 18: Hamoryah, near Douma at March 5, 2018
Al Jazeera showed this footage of a yellow cylinder still leaking yellow liquid. The cylinder is partly frozen. Al Jazeera does not report when and where the video was made. DailyMail reports the cylinder was used in Hamoriye (which seems to be Hamouriyah (Arabic: حمورية ) also spelled as Hamoryah and Hamorouria ).
The National reports about a chemical attach which took place at March 5 at around 11:00 PM. This matches the dark of the Al Jazeera video.
Case 19: February 4, 2018, Saraqib
On February 4, 2018, Saraqib, located in the southern countryside of Idlib, was hit by a poisonous gas attack, A helicopter affiliated to the Syrian regular forces threw two barrel bombs loaded with chemicals believed to be chlorine gas on the eastern neighborhood of the city, which is one of the populated areas, causing 12 civilians to be suffocated, including a child and three Civil Defence volunteers, according to many testimonies obtained by Syrians for Truth and Justice/STJ. (source)
Case 20: November 20 2016 chlorine attack in al-Sukhour district
End of 2016 many chemical attacks were done in Aleppo. HRW made a report here.
The Local Coordination Committees in Syria reported on November 20 that helicopters had dropped two bombs with chlorine gas on al-Sakhour, leading to the death of six civilians from one family.
Thiqa News Agency, Syria Civil Defense, and Aleppo Media Center posted video footage and photographs from what they said was the site of a chlorine attack in al-Sakhour on November 20. The video footage and photographs show the same rubble of a house and remnants of a yellow cylinder amid the rubble.
Some more pictures of yellow cylinders used in Aleppo (source HRW)
Case 21: Al Habit town of Idlib, Syria on April 15, 2015
Tubes extracted from unexploded barrel bombs which are dropped from Syrian regime helicopter lay on the ground in Al Habit town of Idlib, Syria on April 15. Local people suspect tubes due to containing chemical agents. (source)
Case 22: March 30 2017 Latamah
This shows a yellow cylinder with Norinoc CAF written on it. This is the Chinese company which delivered canisters via Iran to Syria. Multiple canisters were photographed having the name of this company.
Here is a video
Case 23: Kafarzita, Hama, October 1st 2016
On October 1st 2016, Kafarzita was targeted with two barrel bombs which contained chlorine gas in it.
This canister also has the Norinco name written on it. (source) Norinco is a Chinese company that makes arms. In a statement it denies it delivered chlorine gas or cylinders to Syria. The image below, taken from that statement, shows the old logo, the new logo and the logo as seen on the cylinders in Syria. Also shown is a photo of the old logo on a weapon made by Norinco. It is clear the logo on the cylinder is different from the old Norinco logo.
