Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that 13-year old Mohammed Hamid Mohammed, admitted to Tal Tamir Hospital following the bombing of Ras-al Ain by Turkey, is a victim of white phosphorus; and whether they intend to refer any such use of white phosphorus to the International Criminal Court to seek justice for the reported violations of the Geneva Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

​The British Government is deeply concerned by all civilian casualties in north east Syria. The allegations that white phosphorous has been used against civilians are extremely worrying and it is important that the full facts are established before any other action is considered. The UN Commission of Inquiry has responsibility for investigating alleged violations of international law in Syria. White phosphorus is not classed as a chemical weapon or covered by the Chemical Weapons Convention. But we have repeatedly called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilians irrespective of the weapon used.