UN chemical weapons inspectors arrive in Syria

UN inspectors tasked with investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria arrived at the war-torn country Sunday.

The 20-member UN delegation, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, checked into the Four Seasons Hotel in central Damascus and will begin their two-week mission Monday.

The Syrian government and the opposition have accused each other of using chemical weapons in an attack on Khan al-Asal town on March 19 that killed at least 25 people and injured 130 others, and both have denied it.

The UN fact-finding mission, set up in March at the request of the Syrian government, will investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons at the Khan al-Asal town on the southwestern outskirts of the embattled city of Aleppo and two other sites.

The locations of two other incidents have not been made known due to a security precaution. The UN investigation team's mandate is to report on whether chemical weapons were used, and if so, to specify what kind of chemical weapons was used, but not to determine the responsibility of the attack.