Breaking: ISIS seizes Chemical weapons in Idlib province - Russian MoD

Toxic chemicals have been seized by the Islamic State terrorist group due to irresponsible steps of the Western countries’ representatives, Lieutenant General Vladimir Savchenko, the chief of the Russian center for reconciliation of conflicting sides in Syria, said on Wednesday.

"In the evening of October 9, a group of ISIS sleeper cell fighters attacked the headquarters of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham terrorist organization (former Jabhat al-Nusra located near the village of al-Lataminah," he said. 

"In the fight, four militants and two members of the White Helmets organization were killed. 

Two cylinders containing chlorine were taken out of the headquarters. The seized cylinders were transported to the south of Aleppo province and handed over to terrorists of the Hurras al-Din terrorist group associated with the Islamic State."

"The Western countries, while planning provocations against Syrian government forces and employing their controlled bandit groups, do not take into account the complicated situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone. As a result of those irresponsible steps, poisonous chemicals ended up in the hands of Islamic State terrorists whose actions are hard to predict," the reconciliation center’s head added.

Russia will continue to expose US chemical weapons provocations against Syria, says official

Russia will continue to expose provocations by a group of US-led countries against the Syrian government, which are expected to produce the impression Damascus uses chemical weapons, the chief Russian delegate, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov, told the 89th session of the OPCW Executive Council.

"The opponents of Syria’s legitimate authorities never stop claiming that the government forces are to blame for using chemical weapons against civilians. 

Allegedly there are confirmations of this in reports by the Joint Investigative Mechanism based on information gathered by the fact-finding mission in Syria," Kalamanov said.

"But who presents this pseudo-information? Non-governmental organizations, such as the White Helmets, on the payroll of the United States, Britain and other countries that advertise them," he said. "The White Helmets are fleeing Syria. They have utterly discredited themselves even in the eyes of their western sponsors."

"We will continue to expose the real background of this dirty provocative game, which is being continued by a group of US-led countries against the legitimate government of Syria with the help of distorted facts and fake videos filmed on orders by the White Helmets and their likes," Kalamanov said.