Syrians in sarin-struck town mark 100 days since attack

Khan Sheikhun: One hundred days after deadly sarin hit their Syrian hometown, residents of Khan Sheikhun shuttered their shops and solemnly paid their respects to the victims at their modest cemetery. The April 4 attack on the opposition-held northwestern town killed at least 87 people, including children, and prompted the first US strike on Syrian government troops. On Wednesday, relatives of the victims gathered in a semi-circle at the reported site of the attack, holding up pictures of their loved ones — many of them toddlers. “The pain of separation has not left me for a single second — not me, nor any of those who lost a relative or loved one,” said Abdulhamid Youssef, 28. His twin toddlers, his wife and 19 other relatives died on April 4. A heartbreaking picture of Youssef, shell shocked and holding the lifeless bodies of his children on the day of the attack, sparked worldwide outrage. “All I hope for is that my children are the last ones who will be killed. Pain is hard. Separation is hard. I hope that this is the conclusion of Syria’s sorrows,” he said. — AFP