Watchdog says has evidence of chlorine attacks in Syria

Civilians inspect a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus September 9, 2014. REUTERS/Badra Mamet

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog have found "compelling evidence" that chlorine gas was used "systematically and repeatedly" as a weapon in northern Syria this year, the watchdog said in a statement on Wednesday. The Hague, Netherlands-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it had seen a "marked reduction" in reported chlorine attacks since sending a fact-finding mission in May, but that there had been a "spate of new allegations" in August. (Reporting By Thomas Escritt; editing by Anthony Deutsch)