Alleged Chemical Attack, August 2, 2016

This day featured at least two reported chemical attacks:
 * Saraqeb, Idlib (allegedly a government attack using chlorine, but both sides blame each other)
 * Aleppo (allegedly a terrorist attack on a government-held area, killing at least five and perhaps seven civilians or more, but both sides blame each other)

Saraqeb
The Saraqeb incident was preceded by local rebels shooting down a Russian helicopter the day before, killing five. The chlorine attack was speculated to be revenge, but no one was reported as killed out of about 30 affected.

Fatalities
Initial reports had 4 or 5 killed early on. Later reports said 6 and then 7 killed. Later on, it was said to be 13. (details forthcoming)

Among the first to die, apparently, is the man shown at right. This came from activist Eva Bartlett, with good contacts in Syria, along with a note that 4 people died, "including one rescuer with Aleppo’s *real* Syrian Civil Defense," apparently being the man shown. "Photo by Aleppo journalist Lama Khaly. According to Khaly, the man in the photo died of his injuries." (InGaza) The photo can almost be verified just by the unusually clear chlorine indicators:
 * Eye damage: they're squeezed closed but appear puffy/swollen, lines down as if from tears.
 * Skin burns: one strange square patch on his arm (something taped there, became sweaty beneath?) looks seriously burned as if with acid. Redness along the hairline (from scalp sweat under the helmet, perhaps)
 * Breathing/Coughing/coughing blood: it's a photo, so no coughing is observed. But he's had blood coming out of his nose and possibly mouth earlier.
 * Cyanosis (shift to blue/purple color in the skin): present and pronounced in the whole upper body (see right arm especially).
 * Other: mud: after the worst of the chlorine reaction with water, additional water or mud or anything would be soothing (indirectly suggests general skin irritation)

Locations
There may have been two incidents in Aleppo, but one is clear, and killed at least 5; it's often said to be in the Old City, but was likely in the Azamiyah area of west Aleppo. A Salaheddin district is specified - on Wikimapia, western Aleppo around the stadiums area. A al-Hamadaniyeh neighborhood is mentioned as also targeted - there's "Al-Hamdaniah Sports City" (Wikimapia) surrounding the stadiums, inside Salaheddin. And an Awameed area is mentioned. There apparently isn't one (finable in English or in Arabic), but there is an Azamiyah area also within Salheddin)

It's unclear if this all somehow classes as "old city," which otherwise might mean Ancient Aleppo on Wikimapia, or north of the citadel in Peto Lucem's map, the "Old City" area  or if that refers to yet another gas incident. (There's also a Hamidiyeh district in this area, but it's said Hamdaniah was hit.)

It's not clear, then, whose territory they're saying was hit. From the fact that official sources knew about and apparently treated the wounded, it should be a government-held area. But by the situation map, the time, the northern and eastern parts of the Old/ancient City area were in rebel hands, with government control just including the citadel in the middle, and starting just to the north and the west.

Russian official sources did also say the shells were fired "from the Sukkari district towards the eastern part of Aleppo," which could only be the Old City area. Al-Jazeera would hear about an attack this day, with no deaths or injuries, just a bit further east (see below). So all considered, it sounds like both happened - chlorine shells hit at least one area in the west and at least one in the east. All on one map, with basic distances from a random spot in the north of Sukkari district:

Aleppo?
Al Jazeera, reporting on the August 11 incident, mentioned: "Last week, there were reports of a chlorine attack in the Aleppo neighbourhood of al-Qatarji, although no one was seriously injured." That's the only Aleppo incident they mention occurring on the same day "at least 33 people, including 18 women and 10 children, were taken to hospital after a chlorine attack in Saraqeb, a town in Idlib province," or on August 2. With zero dead and no "serious injuries," this should be a different incident than the government-reported incident. But it might be their different version of the same attack.

Some reports had the deadly attack in the Old City, but this is ambiguous. The district named is in or next to the Old city, just to the east. (Karm al-Qaterji district on Wikimpaia)

Reactions

 * Mint Press News After Shocking Beheading, ‘Moderate’ Rebels Allegedly Unleash Chemical Weapons In Syria
 * The U.S. government’s reaction to the latest incident seems to be following a familiar pattern. On Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner gave a vague answer when pressed by Caleb Maupin, an RT reporter and MintPress News contributor.


 * “We condemn strongly the use of any chemical weapons and any credible allegations of their use in Syria we’ll investigate,” Toner told Maupin.


 * Toner further claimed the U.S. is still investigating the beheading, adding: “I know that the group itself said that they’d also made some arrests and set up a commission of inquiry into the incident.”
 * This refers to the earlier beheading of the boy Abdullah Issa by members of the Zenki group. These clearly identified and well-known local commanders and cohorts might have been arrested at one point after the mid-July incident, as a movement press release said on July 19. But they were seen at liberty and armed among the public on August 5, which caused some to cheer. (see Talk:Omran Daqneesh)

Videos

 * White Helmets video (Saraqeb)
 * RT report (both attacks)
 * Halab Today (Aleppo Today) video - reports only on the Saraqeb attack, connecting to helicopter shoot-down (implied revenge)