The chemical weapons fact-finding mission in Syria has announced that its team returned to work safely after being attacked on Tuesday.
The Assad regime had accused the rebels of abducting two cars and carrying six members of the fact-finding committee on the use of chlorine gas against civilians in Syria.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement about the incident, saying: "The team was informed about the agreement for a ceasefire in the area of Kafr Zeta, in the northern countryside of Hama, from 8am to 6pm, to facilitate the work of their mission".
The statement added that "after the team, which consists of four four-wheel drive cars belonging to the United Nations arrived to the village of Taibat al-Imam, we informed them that it is not possible to provide them with protection after this point. But the team members decided to continue, without keeping up with Syrian security, towards the village of Kafr Zeta, where one of the cars was targeted with an explosive device. The team was then 2km away from the village. Team members were forced to move to another car, then turn back towards the village of Taibat al-Imam. However, only one car arrived at the village while two cars were hijacked by terrorist groups. These two cars were carrying eleven people, five of them were Syrian drivers and six of the fact-finding team".
The Foreign Ministry claimed in its statement that the regime has secured the mission in the areas under its control, and accused "terrorist groups" of trying to abort the mission of the team.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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