Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held phone calls with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the evening of Aug. 26, focusing on the chemical attack claims in Syria.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has extended his stay in Pakistan for another day at the request of the Pakistan prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. The decision will enable the two leaders to discuss common issues further in the

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that the chemical-weapons use against civilians in Syria is inexcusable and “undeniable,” and that President Barack Obama will make an informed decision on how to respond. “Indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity,” Kerry said.