A team of international investigators have refused to examine tissue samples taken from civilian casualties suspected of being burnt by white phosphorus during the Turkish offensive into northern Syria, arguing the cases fall outside their remit.
The decision halts efforts to verify whether or not incendiary weapons were used in northern Syria during Turkey’s operations in the region, and means time-sensitive tissue samples taken from burns casualties will be left to degrade in a refrigerator unit in Iraq.
It comes amid the growing politicisation of an issue that is now a source of embarrassment for Nato, whose member states appear reluctant to investigate potential war crimes committed by Turkey or its affiliates in Syria.
In a written statement responding to questions by The Times,