Turkey officials allege Syrian rebels exposed to 'chemical gas'

AL-BAB, Syria, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- In a statement released Sunday, Turkish officials alleged Syrian rebels were exposed to "chemical gas" during a missile attack launched by the Islamic State.

According to Turkey's state news agency Anadolu, at least 22 soldiers displayed signs of exposure to toxic gas. The attack happened in the Khalidiyah region of northern Syria.

The attacked soldiers are Syrian members of Operation Euphrates Shield, a group that includes Turkish military forces and allied rebel groups. The aim of Operation Euphrates Shield is the eradication of terror groups in northern Syria.

"Twenty-two rebels were observed to have symptoms of being exposed to chemical gas in their eyes and bodies as a result of the rocket fired by Daesh," according to news reports that quoted the statement from the Turkish General Staff.

Daesh is another name for the Islamic State. The terror group is also sometimes referred to as ISIS and ISIL.

According to the new report, at least 14 rebel soldiers were injured during recent clashes with the Islamic State. One solider was killed.

Officials claim Turkish warplanes blew up four Islamic State targets near al-Bab, a town north of Aleppo.