US Seen Evidence of Syria Preparing Chemical Weapons

The U.S. envoy for Syria, named, Jim Jeffrey, said on Thursday there is “lots of evidence” the Syrian government is preparing chemical weapons in Idlib province. He warned any attack by Syrian or Russian forces in the region would be a “reckless escalation.”
“I am very sure that we have very, very good grounds to be making these warnings,” said Jim Jeffrey, who was named on 17 August as secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s special adviser on Syria overseeing talks on a political transition. “Any offensive is to us objectionable as a reckless escalation,” Jeffrey said. “There is lots of evidence that chemical weapons are being prepared.”
“I am very sure that we have very, very good grounds to be making these warnings,” he added.
Washington has issued several warnings this week urging Syria and Russia against attacking the last major rebel enclave, which Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s government claims contains ISIS militants.
“We will find out to some degree tomorrow if the Russians are willing to come to a compromise with the Turks,” Jeffrey said.
The U.S. on Thursday issued new sanctions on allies of Assad, referring to the regime’s “threat of imminent attack … under the pretense of targeting ISIS.”
The Trump administration on Tuesday warned Assad against using chemical weapons on his citizens.
“The United States is closely monitoring the situation in Idlib province, Syria, where millions of innocent civilians are under threat of an imminent Assad regime attack, backed by Russia and Iran,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
The White House has warned that the United States and its allies would respond “swiftly and vigorously” if government forces used chemical weapons in the widely expected offensive.
Jeffrey said an attack by Russian and Syrian forces, and the use of chemical weapons, would force huge refugee flows into southeastern Turkey or areas in Syria under Turkish control.
>Juthy Saha