Syria wants U.N. weapons inspectors to stay longer; move could forestall U.S. military strike

The Syrian government on Wednesday asked the United Nations to keep its team of weapons inspectors in Damascus beyond their Sunday deadline, a request that could complicate the timeline for a widely expected U.S. military strike.
In a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Syrian government claimed that rebels attacked Syrian forces with chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus on three days earlier this month. Syria’s envoy to the United Nations said the agent used in the attack was “close to what we call the nerve gas sarin.”
         ***Read article at The Washington Post***