MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The militants of Daesh militant group used poisonous gas in an attack against a Syrian army airbase in the province of Deir Ez-zor, a military source said Tuesday.
"The Daesh [Daesh] militants attacked the military airfield in Deir Ez-zor with shells containing a poisonous chemical substance. The defenders of the airbase have reported that a number of soldiers were choking," the source told RIA Novosti.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh, banned in a range of countries including Russia).
A mission to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal was announced after the deadly gas attack. Moscow urged Damascus to place its chemical weapons under international control, and Syria agreed to the Russian initiative.
In August 2015, the UN Security Council authorized the launch of a Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) to identify people who were involved in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
