Syria rebels deny firing chemical weapons, blame regime
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ISTANBUL (AFP) - Syrian rebels on Tuesday denied government claims that they had used chemical weapons, blaming President Bashar al-Assad's regime instead for the deadly rocket attack that caused "breathing problems."
"We understand the army targeted Khan al-Assal (in Aleppo province) using a long-range missile, and our initial information says it may have contained chemical weapons," mainstream rebel Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Muqdad told AFP.
"There are many casualties and many injured have breathing problems," he said in Istanbul, where Syria's opposition has gathered to pick a rebel prime minister.
He denied claims made earlier on Tuesday by Syria's state news agency SANA that "terrorists" - the name the regime uses for rebels - "fired rockets containing chemical materials on Khan al-Assal", killing 15 people.
