On 12 January 2018, the United States called on Syria "to eliminate all chemical weapons, to dismantle fully its chemical weapons program, and to ensure that these weapons can no longer be used against the Syrian people", implying that it believes such weapons continue to exist. A chemical attack on Douma took place on 7 April 2018 that killed at least 49 civilians with scores injured, and which has been blamed on the Assad government. The blaming of the Assad government for the attack is another indication of the belief that Syria still has chemical weapons.