Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The regime of President Bashar Assad was deemed the only one in Syria to possess the non-conventional missiles that killed more than 1,400 people in August 2013, a human rights group said.

Human Rights Watch said it collected evidence that linked the Assad regime to the August attack around Damascus that the United States reported killed more than 1,400 people.

The New York-based group said the missiles and rockets fired in the attack on rebel-held areas near the Syrian capital do not belong to the opposition.

“The evidence concerning the type of rockets and launchers used in these attacks strongly suggests that these are weapon systems known and documented
to be only in the possession of, and used by, Syrian government armed forces,” HRW said.

In a report on Sept. 10, HRW, citing witnesses, said the debris found at the scene of the CW attack on Aug. 21 suggested the firing of heavy rockets deployed only by the Syrian Army. The group cited 330mm and 140mm rockets.

“Human Rights Watch and arms experts monitoring the use of weaponry in
Syria have not documented Syrian opposition forces to be in possession of
the 140 mm and 330 mm rockets used in the attack, or their associated
launchers.” the report said.

Assad has denied any link to the CW attack. The United States, which has
not released evidence, said the Syrian regime was the most likely attacker
and ruled out any link to the rebels.

“Human Rights Watch has investigated alternative claims that opposition
forces themselves were responsible for the Aug. 21 attacks, and has found
such claims lacking in credibility and inconsistent with the evidence found
at the scene,” the report said.

  330mm and 140mm rockets, Bashar Assad, Damascus, Human Rights Watch, Rights group: Only Assad forces ‘in possession’ of rockets and launchers used in CW attack