Syria chemical weapons explained

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US and allies warn Syria over movement of chemical weapon components

Obama warns Syria that use of chemical weapons is "totally unacceptable."

As Syria reportedly prepares to deploy its chemical arsenal, here's why these weapons provoke so much outrage.

Syrian deputy premier Qadri Jamil looks during a press conference in Moscow on August 21, 2012, with a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the background. Jamil dismissed as mere election politics US President Barack Obama's implicit threat to launch an attack should the regime deploy its chemical weapons stockpile.

ANDREY SMIRNOV

AFP/Getty Images