According to some reports, as many as 500 people are dead after activists allege that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical weapons attack not far from Damascus. Many of the reported dead are women and children. The attack comes as U.N. investigators visit the country to try to determine if government forces have used gas and other chemical weapons on their own people during an on-going civil war with rebel forces. A former U.N. weapons inspector told Reuters that the timing of the attack would be “very peculiar” since investigators are currently in the country. Rolf Ekeus said however, “The region has borne the brunt of sustained military pressure for months now … While it is clearly impossible to confirm the chemical weapons claim, it is clear from videos uploaded by reliable accounts that a large number of people have died” …
Update: A new report is alleging that has many as 1,300 were killed in the attack.
