US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday congratulated the world's chemical arms watchdog for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, praising its bravery and resolve in trying to rid Syria of such weapons.

Since more than 1,000 people were killed in August in a sarin gas attack outside Damascus, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has "taken extraordinary steps and worked with unprecedented speed to address this blatant violation of international norms that shocked the conscience of people around the world," Kerry said.

"Today, the Nobel Committee has rightly recognized their bravery and resolve to carry out this vital mission amid an ongoing war in Syria," Kerry said in a statement, vowing the world would never forget the victims of the August attack blamed on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"I am also particularly mindful of the more than 100,000 Syrians lost in this bloody conflict, and the need for the entire international community to redouble our effort to bring it to an end and give peace-loving Syrians a country to return to, free of carnage," he added.