US Probes Suspected Chlorine Attack

A suspected chlorine attack on Sunday by the Syrian government in northwest Syria is under investigation by the United States, State Department officials say.

Syrian Special Envoy Jim Jeffrey told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that the United States so far could not confirm the specific chemical agent used.

“We at this point do not have any confirmation that chlorine, which was the substance that was suggested or alleged has been used — but again, we haven’t finished our review of that,” Jeffrey said.

On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Moran Ortagus said that the United States “continues to see signs” that Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government “may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria.” Ortagus said the Trump administration considers the use of such weapons unacceptable.

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