U.N. confirms use of chemical weapons in Syria

In a much-anticipated report, the United Nations has concluded that chemical weapons have been used in the Syrian conflict.

Experts investigated seven instances of alleged use and found that chemical weapons were either used, or likely used, in five of those instances.

The case that was most clear to inspectors was an August incident near the capital, Damascus.

"The United Nations Mission collected clear and convincing evidence that chemical weapons were used also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale in the Ghouta area of Damascus on 21 August 2013," read the 82-page report, which was released on Thursday.

Blood and urine samples from patients there tested positive for sarin and sarin signatures, it found.

Anti-government activist groups say more than 1,300 people were killed in the attack in Ghouta -- many of them women and children.

Graphic video footage showed rows of bodies without apparent injury, as well as people suffering convulsions or apparently struggling to breathe. - CNN