US sanctions 271 people linked to chemical weapons in Syria

WASHINGTON>> The Trump administration issued sanctions Monday on 271 people linked to the Syrian agency responsible for producing nonconventional weapons, part of an ongoing U.S. crackdown on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons.

The sanctions target employees of Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, which the U.S. says partly enables the use of chemical weapons. The U.S. has blamed Assad for an attack earlier this month that killed more than 80 civilians in rebel-held northern Idlib.

“The United States is sending a strong message with this action: That we will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons by any actor,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters at the White House Monday.

President Donald Trump has called Assad “evil” and said his use of chemical weapons “crossed a lot of lines.”