Syria has moved some chemical weapons to boost security: US

The Syrian regime has moved some chemical weapons to safeguard the material as it wages war against rebel forces but the main storage sites for its arsenal remain secure, US defense secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday.

"There has been some intelligence that with regards to some of these sites there has been some movement ...in order for the Syrians to better secure the chemicals," Panetta told a joint news conference with his Canadian counterpart. "We still believe, based on what we know and what we're monitoring, that the principal sites remain secure," he said. Asked if rebel forces had gotten their hands on some chemical stockpiles, Panetta said: "I don't have any specific information about the opposition and whether or not they've obtained some of this or how much they've maintained." Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, which dates back to the 1970s, is the largest in the Middle East, but its precise scope remains unclear, according to analysts. The regime has said it might use its chemical weapons if attacked by outside countries, although not against its own people.