Members of US Congress demand an investigation of Turkish crimes

A group of US members of the US Congress headed by Ilhan Omer has sent a letter to Washington's special envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, about Turkey's use of white phosphorous against civilians in Syria.

The letter referred to the reports obtained by international observers and organizations regarding the use of white phosphorous by the Turkish forces during the attacks on northern and eastern Syria, stressing that if these allegations were proven to be true, these actions would constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity.

The letter acknowledged that white phosphorous may have been used for military purposes permitted under domestic and international law, but reports issued by organizations and personalities, such as the Kurdish Red Crescent, insisted that Turkish forces had used this substance on that day as a fire weapon against civilians, which may have amounted to the level of war crime.

The letter criticized the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which had refused to investigate the matter, and only declared that it had been "following the situation," stating that the Organization had received from Turkey a day after the alleged attack a grant of 30,000 euros.

The letter called on the Special Envoy Jeffrey to hold a detailed briefing that may have been closed if necessary, to inform the Congress of the information available to the United States about the attacks, calling on the US State Department to conduct a thorough, impartial and multilateral investigation into the matter.

Lawmakers have called on the US government to prosecute those responsible for these attacks, particularly by passing appropriate resolutions in the UN Security Council and filing a suit in the International Criminal Court.

The letter, along with Omer, was signed by the members of Congress Karen Bass, Juan Vargas and Sheila Jackson Lee.

D.H