SUSPECTED NERVE AGENTS USED

New evidence indicates that the Syrian government used suspected nerve agents in four chemical weapons attacks since December including one in an opposition-held town April 4 that killed nearly 100, a human rights group said Monday.

Human Rights Watch said in a report that these attacks “are part of a broader pattern of Syrian government forces’ use of chemical weapons” which could be categorized as crimes against humanity.

The group said the April attack in Khan Sheikhoun and the three others using suspected nerve agents all took place in areas where offensives threatened military airbases.

It said witnesses described symptoms consistent with exposure to nerve agents after planes attacked northern Hama on March 30 and ISIL-held territory in eastern Hama on Dec. 11-12.

In the December attacks, Human Rights Watch said an opposition-affiliated activist and local residents provided the names of 64 people who died of chemical exposure.

The group quoted residents, medical personnel and first responders saying the suspected attack on March 30 caused no deaths but injured dozens of people.