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Militants stage chemical attack in Idlib to accuse Syrian government — center

ccording to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, militants have prepared two tonnes of toxic agents which they are keeping in an inhabited locality in the southwest of Idlib province

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Militants have been scheming a provocation with toxic agents, which have already been shipped into Idlib to make a film in order to pin the blame on the Syrian government for the use of chemical weapons against civilians, Alexander Grinkevich, the chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Wednesday.

According to Grinkevich, the Russian reconciliation center was tipped off that "militants from illegal armed units are making another attempt to stage another provocation with the use of poisonous substances in the southern section of the Idlib de-escalation zone."

"According to the available intelligence, the terrorists delivered toxic agents to Qansafrah settlement in Idlib province and are preparing to make staged videos so as to blame the Syrian government forces for the use of chemical weapons against the civilian population," Grinkevich said.

Earlier in the day, SANA news agency released a statement of the Syrian Foreign Ministry informing that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (former Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, both outlawed in Russia) and the White Helmets non-governmental organization were preparing a mock chemical weapons attack in Idlib. According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, militants have prepared two tonnes of toxic agents which they are keeping in an inhabited locality in the southwest of Idlib province. The statement says that the fake attack is being prepared with the assistance from the Turkish intelligence agencies. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the crimes "committed by terrorists on Syrian soil" and demanded that that their patrons "stop dangerous games that lead to civilian deaths."

Syria holds the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey accountable for the use of those poisonous substances and for the murders of civilians, the statement stressed.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.