Over 60 attacks with chemical arms by Syrian regime: Opposition

Syrian opposition leaders based in Istanbul Tuesday accused Syrian President Bashir al-Assad and forces loyal to his regime of carrying out more than 60 attacks using chemical weapons in 15 different locations inside Syria, Xinhua reported.

Representatives of the western-backed Syrian interim government alleged at a press conference that Assad's government used banned chemical weapons.

The interim government's defence minister Asaad Mostafa alleged the Syrian government intends to create chaos by killing civilians throughout the country, adding that the attacks are a tactic used to distract revolutionaries and prevent them from toppling the regime.

Two weeks ago, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad flatly denied opposition allegations that Syria used toxic gas in rebel-held areas, calling the accusations "absolutely baseless".

Earlier in April, two people were killed and 100 suffered from suffocation after an alleged chlorine gas attack in the rebel-held town of Kafr Zeita. Syrian official media accused rebel groups of orchestrating the attacks.