Inspectors say Syria chemical site abandoned

FILE - In this photo provided Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, samples brought back by the U.N. chemical weapons inspection team are checked in upon arrival at The Hague, Netherlands. An official at the global chemical weapons watchdog agency says Syria has completed the destruction of critical equipment for producing chemical weapons and filling munitions with poison gas. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday, Oct. 31, because the OPCW had not yet made the announcement public. (AP Photo/OPCW, Henry Arvidsson, File)

Chemical weapons inspectors say Syria has provided video and photographic evidence that shows a chemical weapons site near war-torn Aleppo has been dismantled and abandoned.

In a mission update released Thursday by the OPCW, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says photographs and footage provided by Syria showed the building empty and with “extensive battle damage.”

The images were tagged to give the exact location and time of capture and have been authenticated by international inspectors.

The latest inspection means the U.N.-OPCW inspection team has verified 22 of 23 chemical weapons sites declared by Syria.

Inspectors last month visited 21 of the 23 sites but were unable to visit two one of them the Aleppo site because of security concerns.