Press TV - Members of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, are reportedly in possession of chemical weapons in Syria’s troubled northwestern province of Idlib, and have depots of internationally banned weapons.

Local sources, requesting anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency SANA on Monday that Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists have a number of depots in the town of Ghazleh and Ma'arrat Misrin city, located 50 kilometers southwest of Aleppo, where they keep shells filled with toxic materials.

The sources added that some of the toxic substances have been made locally, while other chemical weapons are foreign-made and have mostly been manufactured in the United States.

They highlighted that they have “accurate information” that foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in Ma'arrat Misrin can produce short-range rockets with a range of 15 kilometers that can be armed with chemical warheads.

The sources also warned that Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists would use the toxic materials against ordinary citizens as part of a plot against Syrian government troops.


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] An unconscious Syrian child is carried at a hospital in Khan Shaykhun town in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, following a suspected toxic gas attack on April 4, 2017. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]
The Syrian government turned over its entire chemical stockpile under a deal negotiated by Russia and the US back in 2013.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) oversaw the operations to remove the chemical arsenal from Syria and destroy it.

On April 4, an alleged gas attack hit the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib Province, killing more than 80 people.

The Western countries rushed to hold Damascus responsible for the incident, with the US launching a missile attack against Shayrat Airbase in Syria’s Homs Province on April 7.

Washington claimed that the air field targeted in the missile raid was the origin of the April 4 purported chemical attack.

Syria rejected the accusations, saying that militants, not pro-Damascus forces, were using chemical arms.