The United States administration on Friday announced that it has safely destroyed the last of its obselete chemical weapons, marking a disarmament milestone of weapons since 1990.
According to a press release by the US Department of Defense, the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile was done in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, joined by 193 countries and ratified by the US in 1997. The country had committed to complete the destruction of the weapons by September 30, 2023.
"This is the first time an international body has verified destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction — reinforcing the United States' commitment to creating a world free of chemical weapons," said Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr William A LaPlante.
The last weapon to be destroyed was the sarin nerve agent-filled M55 rocket at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky on Friday.
"This is a momentous day for the US chemical demilitarization program. After years of design, construction, testing and operations, these obsolete weapons have been safely eliminated," mentioned Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.
The America-owned stockpile at one time consisted of 30,000 tonnes of chemical warfare agents in explosively configured weapons and bulk containers, said the Defense Department.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Friday said that the chemical weapons were responsible for "some of the most horrific episodes of human loss."
"Though the use of these deadly agents will always be a stain on history, today our nation has finally fulfilled our promise to rid our arsenal of this evil," he further stated.
These weapons were first used during the World War I, where they are said to have more than 1,00,000 people. They were stockpiled by many companies despite being banned by the Geneva Convention.
Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan are the only countries who have not signed the treaty that aims for the destruction of chemical weapons, while Israel has signed but not ratified the treaty.
(with AP inputs)
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