Turkey denies reports of using chemical weapons in Syria's Afrin

Despite reports that the Turkish military has made use of internationally-banned chemical weapons in its ongoing offensive in Syria’s northwestern region of Afrin, Ankara denies having carried out a gas attack, arguing it takes the “utmost care” of civilians.

“The Turkish army possesses aircraft, tanks and missiles, and is using weapons banned by international conventions like napalm and shells laced with chlorine,” Reizan Hedu, from the Kurdish Self-Defense Forces, told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency on Saturday.

Hedu further noted that Turkish troops actually did not advance in Afrin, but engaged in hit-and-run tactics instead.

The remarks came a day after the general director of Afrin Hospital, Jiwan Mohammad, told Syria’s official news agency, SANA, that six people had been admitted to the medical facility with symptoms of “breathing difficulties, coughing, and burning all over their bodies,” which he said were indicative of a chemical weapon attack.

He added that the victims came from al-Mazyaneh village on the outskirts of Afrin.

Mohammad noted that four of the victims were stable, while two others were in a critical condition.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also told Reuters that Turkish forces and their Syrian militant allies had hit the village on Friday with shells. The Britain-based monitoring group also said medical sources in Afrin reported that six people in the attack suffered breathing difficulties and dilated pupils, indicating a suspected gas attack.

Syrian medical teams are reportedly working to identify the type of toxic gas used in the attack.

Meanwhile, a Turkish diplomatic source denied reports about a suspected gas attack in Afrin as “black propaganda.”

“These are baseless accusations. Turkey never used chemical weapons. We take utmost care about civilians in Operation Olive Branch,” the source said.

SS