A military source revealed to Zaman Al-Wasl that the explosion at Shayrat airbase on Aug. 3, 2019, was not because of a “technical fault during the transport of expired ammunition” but during the testing of a new bomb, which is set to be used in the ongoing northwestern Syria offensive.
The source said the new bomb was manufactured by the Scientific Research Center.
The officer in charge was ‘teaching’ the military pilots and soldiers how to use the new bombs in combat missions.
The deadly explosion at the Shayrat airbase in central Homs province left 31 military personnel dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Four officers, including two Colonels, were among the dead, according to Zaman al-Wasl sources.
The state-run news agency SANA reported that a “technical fault during the transportation of expired ammunition” had killed an unspecified number of victims.
The Shayrat airbase is one of the regime’s most significant installations in the center of the country. Iranian fighters, who support the regime in Syria’s ongoing civil war, are based there, according to the Observatory.
In 2017, US airstrikes hit the base and killed six soldiers in response to a sarin gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in northwest Syria that killed more than 80 people.
According to the Pentagon, US intelligence had established that the base was the launchpad for the alleged chemical attack.
Syria’s war has killed more than 560,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
