US concerned sarin gas used in Syria: Mattis

WASHINGTON: The United States is concerned that sarin gas was recently used in Syria, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday. Mattis told reporters that chlorine gas was known to have been weaponised in attacks in Syria, but added: "We are even more concerned about the possibility of sarin use."

He noted however that the United States did not yet have proof the chemical weapon had been used. Syrian President Bashar Assad denies his government has used chemical weapons. Mattis says it is clear that Assad's government has weaponised and used chlorine gas in the Syrian civil war."We're even more concerned about the possibility of sarin use," he said. Sarin is a colorless and tasteless toxin that can cause respiratory failure leading to death.

Last April, the US launched several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in response to what it called illegal Syrian use of chemical weapons. President Donald Trump said the attack was meant to deter further Syrian use of illegal weapons. In his remarks Friday, Mattis alluded to the April attack, saying, "So they'd be ill-advised to go back to violating" the international prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.

On Thursday, the Trump administration accused Assad of producing and using "new kinds of weapons" to deliver deadly chemicals. Administration officials said Trump has not ruled out additional military action to deter chemical attacks or to punish Assad, though they did not suggest any action was imminent. They emphasized that the United States was seeking a new way to hold users of chemical weapons accountable and wanted cooperation from Russia, Assad's patron, in pressuring him to end the attacks.

Meanwhile, France said on Friday it was "deeply concerned" that Syria´s government was flouting its pledges to stop using chemical weapons and Paris was working with its partners to shed light on recent suspected toxic gas attacks.

Senior US officials said on Thursday that the Syrian government may be developing new types of chemical weapons, and US President Donald Trump is prepared to consider further military action if necessary to deter chemical attacks.

Rescue workers and medical groups working in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, near to Damascus, have accused government forces of using chlorine gas three times over the last month, including on Thursday morning.