UN continues probing Syria chemical attack sites

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The UN chemical weapons investigation team Thursday resumed their probing mission in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus.

The investigations resumed a day after Syria's deputy foreign minister said he presented the UN investigators with information that "armed terrorist groups" had carried out nerve agent attacks in several areas, Xinhua reported.

The team headed to restive areas in the countryside of Damascus, mainly Zamalka, to continue their probe mission about the alleged use of nerve agent.

A day earlier, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad declared that the US and its allies have no evidence about the involvement of the Syrian government in the alleged chemical attack.

He further charged that the US encouraged the rebels to use those weapons, stressing that the rebels will use the same weapons in Europe.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that the UN inspectors investigating the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria would leave the country by Saturday morning, according to media reports.

"They will continue investigation activities until Thursday, Friday, and will come out of Syria Saturday morning and will report to me as soon as they come out," Xinhua quoted Ban as saying.