Turkey denies use of chemicals in Syria's Afrin

<p style="text-align:left">A Turkish diplomatic source said the country never used chemical weapons in its operations in the Syrian Kurdish town of Afrin.

The diplomat made the remarks after Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said Ankara carried out a gas attack in Afrin.

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

According to Reuters Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said the Turkish military carried out a suspected gas attack that wounded six people in Syria&rsquo;s Afrin region on Friday.

The source also described the accusations of wounding six civilians through a suspected gas attack as &ldquo;black propaganda&rdquo;.

Turkey launched an air and ground offensive last month on the Afrin region, opening a new front in the multi-sided Syrian war, to target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Birusk Hasaka, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, told Reuters that Turkish bombardment hit a village in the northwest of the region, near the Turkish border. He said it caused six people to suffer breathing problems and other symptoms indicative of a gas attack.

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

Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a doctor in a Afrin hospital, said Turkish shelling of the village caused choking in six people.

Reporter&rsquo;s code: 50101

Turkey denies use of chemicals in Syria's Afrin

A Turkish diplomatic source said the country never used chemical weapons in its operations in the Syrian Kurdish town of Afrin.

The diplomat made the remarks after Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said Ankara carried out a gas attack in Afrin.

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

According to Reuters Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said the Turkish military carried out a suspected gas attack that wounded six people in Syria&rsquo;s Afrin region on Friday.

The source also described the accusations of wounding six civilians through a suspected gas attack as &ldquo;black propaganda&rdquo;.

Turkey launched an air and ground offensive last month on the Afrin region, opening a new front in the multi-sided Syrian war, to target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Birusk Hasaka, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, told Reuters that Turkish bombardment hit a village in the northwest of the region, near the Turkish border. He said it caused six people to suffer breathing problems and other symptoms indicative of a gas attack.

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

Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a doctor in a Afrin hospital, said Turkish shelling of the village caused choking in six people.

Reporter&rsquo;s code: 50101

News Code 3972

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