Turkish DM: Examination of samples show no sign of chemical warfare

Turkish Defense Miniser Hulusi Akar said that they have found no evidence of chemical weapons use by the Turkish military after an examination of samples collected from a region where a military campaign has been conducted by Turkey.

Holding a video conference on Monday with the participation of senior military officers, Akar said that some people still continue "slandering" despite statements by the ministry in response to allegations of chemical warfare.

Akar said:

"An Army delegation carried out inspections in the region, and collected samples. These samples were examined by experts in the laboratories of the Ministry of Health. They clearly concluded in their reports that there were no findings on the use of any chemical weapon."

Akar did not specify what kind of samples were collected, or in which locations the Army delegation collected these samples.

He added:

"There are still some media outlets that are involved in all sorts of vile efforts. And there are some deputies who unwittingly or deliberately become instrumental in such efforts. We want to express once again that chemical weapons and ordnance are not produced, developed, stocked and used by the Turkish Armed Forces, and that we do not have any weapon and ordnance that is prohibited by international laws and conventions."

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) earlier called on international institutions on 18 October to investigate allegations concerning use of chemical weapons by the Turkish military in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

"There are serious reports and allegations that Turkey has been using chemical agents in its military operations since 2021 in the territories of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, which according to international law constitutes a war crime, and some images recently published by some media outlets further support such allegations," HDP had said.