Emergency UNSC meeting on Syria gas attack underway

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Tuesday's chlorine gas attack in Syria got underway Wednesday morning (New York time). The council is discussing a draft resolution introduced by the US, Britain and France that condemns the attack, demands a full investigation, and calls on the UN Secretary general to report to the global body each month on whether the Syrian military is cooperating with the UN's investigation of the use of chemical weapons in the country. Russia announced that it considers the draft      categorically unacceptable. The official number of fatalities from the bombardment of the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhun by the Syrian military has reached 72, including many children, but medical sources in the town said that the actual number is about 150. For more details on the incident and why Syrian President Assad's use of chemical weapons, including the killing of women and children, is likely to continue, see DEBKAfile's special report.