Russia: US Was Warned before Chemical Attack by Militants in Aleppo

© Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters

Russia said that Washington was warned by Moscow about the use of toxic shells by a US-backed ‘moderate’ militant group before the attack on August 2.

On August 3, the director of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, Lt. Gen. Sergey Chvarkov, said that the US received this information on August 1, a day prior to the attack.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also said that the attack was launched by the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki militant group.

“On August 2, 2016 at 19 hours 05 minutes militants from the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki group, considered by Washington as ‘moderate opposition’, launched poisonous materials from the Sukkari district towards the eastern part of Aleppo,” a statement of the ministry read.

The statement also noted that a residential area was fired with the shells, launched from militant-held areas. According to reports, terrorists used Chlorine, highly toxic gas which causes respiratory problems and consciousness loss in those who come in contact to it.

On April 7, 23 people died and over 100 others suffered breathing difficulties when a chemical attack against members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) was carried out by ISIS terrorists in the Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of Aleppo.

Russia has long said that the US-backed so-called moderate opposition groups in Syria should leave the areas held by terrorists. Washington claims that it is unable to remove the opposition groups.