Turkey condemns chemical attack in Syria

Turkey on Tuesday condemned a chemical gas attack carried out by Syrian regime warplanes in Idlib, killing more than 100 civilians.

Earlier, Syrian opposition Health Minister Firas Jundi said that more than 100 civilians were killed and 500 others, mostly children, were hurt or injured by a chlorine gas attack carried out by regime warplanes in the town of Khan Shaykun, Idlib.

"We strongly condemn the attacks carried out today by elements of the [Syrian] regime in the town of Khan Shaykun in the Idlib province of Syria and caused the death of dozens of innocent people, many of them children," Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said that Turkey expects the international community to condemn such attacks and international organizations, especially the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, to immediately investigate them.

Turkey also urged anyone with influence on the Syrian regime to fulfill their responsibilities to help stop the cruel attacks which target civilians.

-Cease-fire violated

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also strongly condemned the attack in Syria as a “war crime” and “crime against humanity”.

Kalin stated the regime of Bashar al-Assad has violated the ongoing cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran and sabotaged the country’s political transition process.

He called on the international community to take necessary steps against the six-year long "massacre".

A cease-fire brokered by Turkey and Russia came into effect in Syria late last year.

Last year, a UN-appointed investigation panel found that chemical weapons had been used by regime forces and opposition fighters in 2014 and 2015. However, no actionable steps were taken.

Chlorine gas in warfare is outlawed by international treaties. High-level exposure can cause suffocation, with children and seniors being particularly vulnerable.

Since civil war in Syria erupted in March 2011, more than 250,000 people have been killed, according to the UN. The Syrian Center for Policy Research puts the death toll at more than 470,000.