Assad troops use killer gas bombs

Syrian troops have deployed bombs containing a killer gas while fighting rebels in the central city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activists said yesterday. “Activists in Homs say that six rebels died on Sunday night on the Khaldiyeh-Bayada frontline because they inhaled odorless gas and white smoke,” said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, lawyers and doctors to document Syria’s raging conflict. “Gas spread in the area after regime troops threw bombs that gave off white smoke as soon as they hit the walls,” said the Observatory, which added that the bombs were deployed during street clashes with the rebels. “Those who inhaled the gas felt nauseous and suffered severe headaches. Some suffered fits,” it added. “These are not chemical weapons, but we do not know whether they are internationally prohibited,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. “Activists say it is the first time they have recorded these effects,” he added. “They are not conventional weapons.” The Observatory called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently send a specialized medical team to Homs. From: Arab News