RUSSIAN Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov has called for international co-operation in the fight against terrorism in Syria amid claims that jihadist groups are planning a chemical attack.

“It has become a preferred method for terrorists to use chemical weapons and to subsequently blame the government forces, and messages about their readiness still regularly reach us through various channels,” he told the Tass news agency on Tuesday.

The Syrian army has largely defeated the jihadist insurgency that once saw the Islamists hold vast swathes of territory, but the country remains on high alert.