International News

THE HAGUE, (MILLAT+APP/AFP) – A global watchdog raised fears
Tuesday that chemical weapons may have been used in air strikes by Syrian regime loyalists near Palmyra, in an area controlled by the Islamic State group.
“The allegations regarding the use of chemical weapons in the area of
(Oqayrabat), in the Hama governorate in Syria, reported by the media recently are of serious concern,” the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement.
At least 53 civilians, including 16 children, were killed Monday in
air strikes targeting IS-held Oqayrabat and a string of villages nearby, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said there were cases of
suffocation but could not confirm accusations of a chemical attack.
The strikes came a day after IS took back control of the ancient
desert city of Palmyra, in the neighbouring province of Homs.
Abdel Rahman said he could not confirm if the strikes on the east of
Hama province were carried out by Syrian or Russian warplanes.