Terrorists plan new chemical provocations in Syria's Idlib: Russian Military

Militants are preparing new provocations with the use of chemical agents in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, Sputnik News Agency reported quoting the head of the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation as saying Thursday.

"According to information received by the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation, militants from the Ahrar-ash-Sham and Jaish al-Izza groups are preparing new provocations using chemical agents," Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko said at a daily news briefing.

"The terrorists delivered two containers with chlorine to a granary in the northern part of the settlement of Kalyat al-Mudik, located 20 kilometers west of the city of Hama. They are planning to use this chemical agent to stage a fake chemical attack against civilians by the Syrian government forces," the general said.

Earlier, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that militants in several Syrian regions including Aleppo were engaged in planning provocations involving the use of chemical weapons including chlorine.

On October 27, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria reported that it received information from locals that terrorists from the Islamic Party of Turkestan had transferred twenty 10 liter containers of chlorine for use in false flag attacks in Maarrat al-Nu'man, a city in Idlib province.