Turkish Ministry Claims Sarin Discovered During Examination of Bodies in Idlib

The autopsy by Turkey of bodies of Syrian Idlib province residents allegedly killed by a chemical attack showed the presence of sarin, the Turkish Ministry of Health said Thursday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Syrian opposition claimed Tuesday forces loyal to President Bashar Assad had used a chemical gas on people in the northwestern province, killing nearly 80 and injuring 200. Assad argued his government has no chemical weapons after agreeing to have them destroyed in 2013. He also ruled out having used chemicals against own people.

"During the autopsy of the bodies of three people killed in Idlib, sarin was found," the NTV channel quoted the ministry's statement.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier in the day that the US-UK-France-backed draft resolution on the chemical weapons in Syria is based on fake reports mosty from the White Helmets and the SOHR "which cannot be called reliable."

The Russian Defense Ministry said early Wednesday the airstrike near Khan Shaykhun was carried out by Syrian aircraft, which struck a terrorist warehouse that stored chemical weapons slated for delivery to Iraq.

In 2013, the Syrian authorities agreed to transfer its stockpiled chemical weapons to international control for their subsequent destruction, so as to prevent them from falling into the hands of militants operating in the country.