In Syria, it all started as it did in other Arab Spring countries. The Syrian people rose against the Baath regime and the Assads, who have been running the country for more than 40 years. But in a short time this uprising turned into a violent sectarian war that was actually shadow boxing by regional countries. One of the striking peculiarities of the civil war in Syria is the perpetual crimes against humanity and violations of international law both by groups calling themselves “opposition” and President Bashar al-Assad’s regular army and shabiha paramilitary groups. Some human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, are systemically recording these crimes committed by both sides.

With the chemical weapon attack around Damascus on Aug. 21 that killed more than 1,000 people, attacks against civilians have assumed a new dimension. We all know what transpired after that attack, with Syria coming to the threshold of being bombed by an international coalition. With Russia entering the picture and Assad’s subsequent promise of giving up his chemical weapons, an intervention against Syria seems to be off the agenda.

But the question who was behind the chemical attack still remains an unanswered question. Those who claim the attack was by Assad’s forces say he has ample supplies of chemical weapons, that his forces had earlier used chemical weapons and that only the government has the technological means to fire those chemical weapons.

President Barack Obama, in his Sept. 10 address to the nation, categorically stated that the attack was carried out by Assad’s forces. He said there was a chemical weapons attack that included sarin gas in the same area and the attack had started immediately after regime soldiers were issues gas masks. The rockets were fired from positions controlled by the regime, he added.