ALLEGED WAR CRIMES

Syrian Rebels: 1,100 Dead in Gas Attack

Nerve gas reportedly used in Damascus.

U.S. officials are seeing "strong indications" that Syrian government forces used nerve gas in Damascus on Wednesday, reportedly killing over a thousand people. Syrian opposition groups claimed that up to 1,100 people had been killed in the attack, and hundreds more were reportedly wounded. Though the attacks have not been verified, United Nations deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson called the attack a "serious escalation with grave humanitarian consequences." Rockets filled with poisonous gas were reportedly fired into the capital, and amateur video found online showed victims sprawled out on hospital floors, with others being treated with hand-pump respirators. The government of President Bashar al-Assad denied using chemical weapons, calling the claims “baseless” on state-run television. The attack comes just one day after chemical weapons experts were sent to Damascus by the United Nations to investigate the government’s alleged use of nerve gas.