Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have of rocket and mortar attacks on civilians in the Sheikh Maqsoud area of Aleppo by the Fatah Halat coalition of Islamist militants or other groups; and whether they have received any reports that chemical weapons were used in that area in early April or since then.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports of rocket and mortar attacks in civilian areas in the Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo in early April. These attacks were a result of clashes between the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and a range of armed opposition groups. There have also been allegations of chemical weapons use by armed groups in the area. We have been unable to verify these reports. The ongoing violence in Syria continues to put civilians at risk. Only a political settlement, with transition away from Asad, can bring an end to their suffering.