There’s been no confirmation of what type of chemical weapon was used, but U.S. officials tell the Wall Street Journal that they’ve suspected that ISIS obtained a small supply of mustard agent for some time.
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The terror group likely obtained the mustard agents either in Syria – where the Assad regime has been accused of using chemical weapons against civilians – or in Iraq.
“When it’s close air support or operational support the numbers go up”, he said, pointing to recent air strikes near Ramadi and Bayji and other locations in Iraq and Syria, where U.S. forces targeted al-Nusra Front as well as Islamic State.
Germany said the attack appeared to involve chlorine gas shells, which are toxic but not banned like mustard gas.
The German Defense Ministry issued a statement Thursday saying 60 Kurdish fighters had experienced breathing difficulties after the attack.
A team of the US and Iraqi fighters will now investigate the use of Mustard Gas an asphxiant that has been banned by the UN in the year 1993. “We continue to monitor these reports intently, & would additional stress in that any use of chemical compounds or biological material as a weapon is totally inconsistent with worldwide standards & norms relating to such capabilities”, he stated.
The intelligence agencies have said that they believed Islamic State has used chlorine gas in attacks in Iraq.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the British army’s chemical-weapons unit, said the use of mustard agent by Islamic State could give a boost to the group’s “psychological warfare campaign”.
US officials did not confirm to AFP when the attack had taken place.
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“You mention chemical weapons, people immediately freeze and are irrational”.
