None of the troops have reported any symptoms of exposure. The base is strategically located there in order for forces to be prepared for battles within ISIS-controlled Mosul.
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Luckily, no troops were injured in the attack.
No one was injured by Tuesday’s rocket which landed in the Qayara air base near Mosul, where several hundred USA soldiers are stationed. The first test was positive, but a second test was negative. The weapons, a mixture of mustard and chlorine agents crudely loaded into a variety of artillery, mortar shells and rockets, have not been widely used.
The top USA military officer confirmed Thursday that Islamic State militants targeted a military base in Iraq where US troops were stationed with a potentially deadly chemical weapon this week.
Several hundred USA troops are at the base, along with Iraqi soldiers.
Officials have warned for months of a humanitarian disaster inside, where residents living under Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s harsh rule say food supplies have dwindled and prices soared.
“I don’t know of a case like this where it was proximate to U.S. forces like this before”, a second official said. “The most important thing, no U.S. troops hurt in this, but some did go through decontamination as a precaution”, Starr reported, “As we speak, this chemical shell is being tested by the USA military to see exactly what was in it”.
United States troops were given special equipment to help protect themselves from various chemical weapons.
“This attack has not impacted our mission in any way, nor have we changed our security posture in the area around Qayara”, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Mustard gas is recognized by its “mustardy” odor, though the smell has also been compared to garlic, horseradish or sulfur.
Mustard gas can cause severe burns and blisters, as well as damage to the eyes, respiratory system and internal organs.
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Earlier this month, a USA general said American warplanes had eliminated a “significant chemical threat” to Iraqi civilians by bombing a complex of buildings near Mosul that Islamic State militants had converted from pharmaceutical manufacturing to chemical weapons production.
