Regime forces put east Aleppo under siege on Sunday for a second time since July after advancing against rebels on the city’s outskirts.
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Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer rescue group regularly involved in the aftermath of attacks in the troubled Middle Eastern nation, said the chlorine bombs were dropped on the civilian-populated al-Sukkari neighborhood.
The Civil Defence alleged that the government committed two further chlorine gas attacks in August, according to Reuters.
“We have not and will not use at any point this type of weapon”, the Syrian military source said.
The symptoms of the victims are the same as they have experienced in the past and this led them to believe that this is a chlorine gas attack.
The White Helmets also posted a video of rescue workers searching for survivors in the rubble. The wail of ambulance sirens can be heard in the video. CNN can not confirm the authenticity of the reports.
In another development, two Turkish soldiers were killed and five others were wounded when Islamic State launched a rocket attack on two Turkish tanks near the village of al-Waqf in northern Syria, Turkey’s military saidyesterday. Witnesses said chlorine barrel bombs were dropped by President Bashar Assad’s warplanes.
Secretary of State John Kerry said previous year that he was “absolutely certain” that the Syrian government had attacked its own people with chlorine – an accusation the Syrian regime has denied.
They Syrian government has denied using bombs filled with chlorine, a choking agent.. In extremely high doses, chlorine can be fatal. At least 80 people were hospitalized for breathing problems, including 50 women and children, Ibrahem Alhaj told the dpa news agency. The Chicago Tribune reported they were treated for a dry cough and breathing difficulties. Paramedics had begun undressing and washing victims with water, including children. One of the women was reported to be pregnant.
Rebel-held Aleppo has been pounded by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, backed by Russian air power. The U.S. supports rebels fighting to overthrow the regime and Russian Federation has backed the Assad regime.
The opposition Aleppo Media Centre also charged on its Twitter account that Sukkari was the target of a chlorine attack.
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Meanwhile, the United Nations aid agency said the fighting in Syria’s central Hama province has displaced some 100,000 people over eight days between late August and early September. The UN report, published in late August, also concluded that the Islamic State used chemical weapons-sulphur mustard gas-in Syria.
