Jaysh al-Islam Leader Denies Using Chemical Weapons in Northern Syria
11:45 15.04.2016(updated 13:14 15.04.2016)
Leader of Jaysh al-Islam Mohammed Alloush in an interview with Sputnik denied alleged use of chemical weapons in a recent attack on Aleppo's Kurdish-controlled Sheikh Maqsoud district by the Syrian rebel group.
GENEVA (Sputnik) – Last Thursday, a spokesman for Syrian Kurds told Sputnik that gas poisoning cases had been reported among the civilian population and Kurdish militias after an attack on Aleppo by Islamist militants. Jaysh al-Islam took responsibility for the shelling, saying it had used "forbidden" weapons.
"This is really a big lie, which is laughable. We do not have chemical weapons and do not allow its application against anyone, and even more so against our civilians," Alloush, who also heads the Riyadh-backed High Negotiations Committee, said on the sidelines of the intra-Syria Geneva talks.
Instead, he once again accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of using chemical weapons in the country.
"[The information] that this type of weapon has been used [by Jaysh al-Islam] is absolutely wrong. What we used was Grad multiple rocket launchers, it is allowed, these rockets are simple, characterized by low weight and are considered to be defensive rather than offensive [rockets]," he added.
© Sputnik
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