Reports citing anonymous U.S officials alleged that militants of the Islamic state used the poisonous mustard gas against Kurdish military forces in Iraq.
Speaking on Thursday night, U.S Central Command spokesperson, Air Force Col. Pat Ryder said, “We’re looking into the reports.”
Anonymous intelligence officials reported the accusations about the militants of the Islamic State, commonly referred to as ISIS or ISIL.
In an email, Alistair Baskey, the National Security Council spokesman, said “As in previous instances of alleged ISIL use of chemicals as weapons, we are aware of the reports and are seeking additional information.”
“We continue to monitor these reports closely, and would further stress that any use of chemicals or biological material as a weapon is completely inconsistent with international standards and norms regarding such capabilities,” he added.
The ISIL militias have been accused of using the hazardous chlorine gas in weaponry in the past.
Mustard gas is a dangerous substance that was widely used in the First World War, causing injuries to the lungs and the skin. The deadly agent can be distributed using rockets or artillery shells.
Signs indicate the militants’ potential source of mustard gas was Syria. President Bashar Assad’s regime admitted possessing mustard gas in 2013, when it decided to surrender its deadly chemical arsenal, the newspaper reported. It has since been linked to a number of gas attacks which include the use of chlorine and mustard gases.
The Kurds were the biggest victims of a huge 1988 chemical assault when the dictatorial regime of former Iraq president Saddam Hussein let loose its chemical weapons in Halabja town, killing thousands.
According to Aljazeera, German and United States officers have announced that they are looking to investigate findings that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants used the deadly mustard gas against Kurdish forces in Iraq.
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