date of publication 4 april 2017 at least 72 people including nine children were killed in an airstrike that released "toxic gas" on the rebel-held syrian town of khan sheikhun on tuesday a monitor said. tags syria idlib gas attack chlorine observatory assad warplanes carried out a suspected toxic gas attack that killed at least 72 people including several children in a rebel-held town in northwestern syria on tuesday a monitoring group said. the syrian observatory for human rights said those killed in the town of khan sheikhun in idlib province had died from the effects of the gas adding that dozens more suffered respiratory problems and other symptoms. the britain-based monitoring group was unable to confirm the nature of the substance and said it was unclear if the planes involved in the attack were syrian or those of government ally russia. the observatory said medical sources in the town reported symptoms among the affected including fainting vomiting and foaming at the mouth. the victims were mostly civilians it said and included at least 20 children. photographs circulated by activists showed members of the volunteer white helmets rescue group using hoses to wash down the injured as well as at least two men with white foam around their mouths. idlib province is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former al-qaeda affiliate fateh al-sham front. a man gets treatment at a hospital after the chlorine gas attack in idlib [anadolu] it is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime as well as russian warplanes and has also been hit by the us-led coalition fighting the islamic state group usually targeting extremists. syrias government officially joined the chemical weapons convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013 as part of a deal to avert us military action. but there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then with a un-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015. the government denies the use of chemical weapons and has in turn accused rebels of using banned weapons. the attack comes only days after forces loyal to president bashar al-assad were accused of using chemical weapons in a counter-offensive in neighbouring hama province. the opposition accused the government forces of using "toxic substances" in its battle to repel the assault. on thursday airstrikes on several areas in the north of hama province left around 50 people suffering respiratory problems according to the observatory which could not confirm the cause of the symptoms. the monitor relies on a network of sources inside syria for its information says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type location flight patterns and munitions used. timelinejs embed march 3 2011 six years of conflict in syria peaceful protests against the oppressive regime of bashar al-assad began in march 2011. they were harshly repressed prompting an armed uprising. the conflict has left more than 320000 people dead according to the syrian observatory for human rights monitoring group. march 15 2011 unprecedented protests demand civil liberties and freedom for political prisoners after 40 years of repressive rule by the assad family. the regime repressed demonstrations using brutal force in damascus and the southern city of daraa but protests continue. july 2011 bashar al-assad sacks the governor of the northern province of hama over mass demonstrations and sends in troops to restore order at the cost of scores of lives. march 1 2012 regime forces seize rebel-held baba amr in homs city after 27 days of heavy shelling. 2013 jihadists notably al-qaeda-linked al-nusra front expand in the north at the expense of moderate rebels. assad accused of releasing extremist prisoners to portray his regime as anti-terror bulwark april 2013 powerful iran-backed lebanese shia militia hizballah says it is fighting alongside regime forces. iran meanwhile boosts military support for longtime ally assad who belongs to the shia-linked alawite sect. august 21 2013 rebel-backer washington accuses the regime of killing more than 1400 people with chemical weapons in rebel-held districts near damascus. 2014 islamic state [is] group seizes swathes of territory proclaiming a self-styled "caliphate" in areas it controls in syria and iraq. september 2014 the us its arab and european allies launch airstrikes against is in syria. the strikes benefit kurdish groups which had in 2013 declared "autonomous administrations" in northern syria. january 2015 coalition-backed kurdish fighters oust is from the flashpoint border town of kobane. september 30 2015 russia launches airstrikes on syria in support of assads regime under the pretext it is striking "terrorist groups". with russian support the regime begins to retake territory. thousands more civilians killed. august 24 2016 turkey launches operation euphrates shield in aleppo province to tackle both is and washington-backed kurdish militias ankara considers "terrorists". september 22 2016 syrian regime forces announce a major offensive to retake rebel-held eastern aleppo. syrias second city and former economic capital had been divided between rebel and regime control since 2012. december 22 2016 the regime declares it has full control of aleppo after a final convoy of civilians and rebel fighters leave under a withdrawal deal. january 2017 russia iran and turkey agree to a nationwide ceasefire between regime and non-islamist rebels following talks between both sides in kazakhstan. ceasefire repeatedly violated by regime forces in some areas march 15 2017 amid continuing low-level violence across much of the country and as the islamic state group is put under further pressure in its remaining strongholds at least two suicide carbombs detonate in the syrian capital on the sixth anniversary of the uprising. at least 32 are confirmed dead. march 15 2011 timeline js unprecedented protests demand civil liberties and freedom for political prisoners after 40 years of repressive rule by the assad family.the regime repressed demonstrations using brutal force in damascus and the southern city of daraa but protests continue. bashar al-assad sacks the governor of the northern province of hama over mass demonstrations and sends in troops to restore order at the cost of scores of lives. regime forces seize rebel-held baba amr in homs city after 27 days of heavy shelling. jihadists notably al-qaeda-linked al-nusra front expand in the north at the expense of moderate rebels. assad accused of releasing extremist prisoners to portray his regime as anti-terror bulwark powerful iran-backed lebanese shia militia hizballah says it is fighting alongside regime forces. iran meanwhile boosts military support for longtime ally assad who belongs to the shia-linked alawite sect. rebel-backer washington accuses the regime of killing more than 1400 people with chemical weapons in rebel-held districts near damascus. islamic state [is] group seizes swathes of territory proclaiming a self-styled "caliphate" in areas it controls in syria and iraq. the us its arab and european allies launch airstrikes against is in syria. the strikes benefit kurdish groups which had in 2013 declared "autonomous administrations" in northern syria. coalition-backed kurdish fighters oust is from the flashpoint border town of kobane. russia launches airstrikes on syria in support of assads regime under the pretext it is striking "terrorist groups". with russian support the regime begins to retake territory. thousands more civilians killed. turkey launches operation euphrates shield in aleppo province to tackle both is and washington-backed kurdish militias ankara considers "terrorists". syrian regime forces announce a major offensive to retake rebel-held eastern aleppo. syrias second city and former economic capital had been divided between rebel and regime control since 2012. the regime declares it has full control of aleppo after a final convoy of civilians and rebel fighters leave under a withdrawal deal. russia iran and turkey agree to a nationwide ceasefire between regime and non-islamist rebels following talks between both sides in kazakhstan. ceasefire repeatedly violated by regime forces in some areas amid continuing low-level violence across much of the country and as the islamic state group is put under further pressure in its remaining strongholds at least two suicide carbombs detonate in the syrian capital on the sixth anniversary of the uprising. at least 32 are confirmed dead.
scores killed in gas attack in rebel-held syria town