'Militants used chemical weapons on Syrians'

'Militants used chemical weapons on Syrians'
Wed May 1, 2013 10:41:46

Armed rebels in Syria have used chemical weapons during an attack on a town near Turkey’s border, Syria's UN ambassador says.

In a press conference in New York on Tuesday, he demanded the UN to launch an investigation into the case.

 

Bashar al-Jaafari said that the militants, who are fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, have spread the contents of plastic bags containing chemical material near the city of Idlib.

 

Al-Jaafari said use of chemical weapons is not only "a red line" but "a blood line" that cannot be tolerated.

 

Many residents were affected by the armed groups’ “heinous and irresponsible act,” which was an attempt to “implicate the Syrian government on a false basis,” the Syrian envoy said.

 

Some of the victims were transferred to Turkey for treatment, Jaafari added.

 

The envoy went on to say that today or tomorrow Ankara and western media would launch a new propaganda campaign against Damascus and claim that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people.

 

The remarks came as reports say that two people were killed and 20 others injured in militants’ chemical attack in Idlib.

 

US, Israeli and British officials have said there’s evidence that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons in its fight against the foreign-backed militants.

 

Syria has dismissed the allegations as false and fabricated, demanding an investigation to be conducted by Russian experts into the alleged use of chemical weapons.

 

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel have been killed in the violence.

 

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

string(1020) "[{"id":"1468791","sort":"3010595","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/04/27/alalam_635026940194763865_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"‘Chemical weapons may have come from Turkey’"} ,{"id":"1469132","sort":"3010596","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/04/28/alalam_635027818997528274_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Iran calls for swift solution to Syria unrest"} ,{"id":"1469535","sort":"3010597","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/04/29/alalam_635028597372158269_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Lavrov: West repeating Iraq scenario on Syria"} ,{"id":"1469881","sort":"3010598","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/04/30/alalam_635029472814070846_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Armed men in Syria kidnap 10 women"} ,{"id":"1470001","sort":"3010599","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/05/01/alalam_635029929006215854_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Rebels not able to topple Syria govt.: Nasrallah"} ,{"id":"1470014","sort":"3010600","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/05/01/alalam_635029957891172623_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syria conflict threatening entire region: Iran FM"} ]"