The United States suspects that Syrian forces are again using non-conventional weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack over the weekend in the country’s restive northwest. “We are still gathering information on this incident, but we repeat our warning that if the Assad regime uses chemical weapons, the United States and our allies will respond quickly and appropriately,” a State Department spokesperson said. Damascus recently launched an offensive – backed by Russian air support – in Idlib Province, which remains under the control of a rebel group with links to al-Qaida. The intensifying campaign violates a Russia-Turkey cease-fire agreement that had set up a “safe zone” in the area adjacent to the Turkish border. Ankara fears that renewed fighting in Idlib could cause a mass exodus of civilians, with Turkey already harboring some 3.5 million refugees. Turkey also controls a major force in northwest Syria, raising the specter of a potential direct confrontation with regime troops.
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