Mustard gas use in Syria conflict confirmed

Mustard gas was used during summer fighting in Syria but it was not clear by whom, the global chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday, while jihadists seized a key town from regime forces.

The deadly gas was used in the flashpoint town of Marea in the northern province of Aleppo on 21 August, a source from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) revealed. "We have determined the facts, but we have not determined who was responsible," the source said.

Allegations that jihadist militants have been using chemical arms have been increasing in recent months in both Iraq and Syria. Syrian rebels and aid groups said that at the end of August dozens of people were affected by a chemical attack on Marea, where moderate opposition rebels and militants from the Islamic State (IS) group were battling.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had treated four civilians from one family. Patients at an MSF hospital in Aleppo said they saw a "yellow gas" when a mortar round hit their house.    (AFP)

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