A Western Diplomat: ISIS Used Mustard Gas in Iraq

Reuters reports, citing a Western diplomat at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, that the group known as 'Islamic State' used 'mustard gas' against Kurdish forces in Iraq. This is the first report of chemical weapon use in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The source confirmed to Reuters that test results following the poisoning of about 35 Kurdish Peshmerga were positive. Although the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons did not specify who used the gas, the diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the investigation results indicate that 'Islamic State' was responsible. Laboratory samples were transferred to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons following illness among Kurdish Peshmerga during battles with ISIS members in southwestern Erbil last summer. The organization had previously confirmed the use of mustard gas in Syria last November. At that time, reports indicated that the 'Islamic State' had used this chemical weapon in a battle against another rebel group. A diplomat had told Reuters at that time, 'The group (Islamic State) either managed to learn how to produce this chemical weapon itself, or they have taken it from a stockpile they have seized. Both options are concerning.' There is also speculation that ISIS may have obtained mustard gas from some of the Syrian government's stockpiles. In 2013, following international threats, the Syrian government agreed to destroy its chemical stockpiles under international supervision. Damascus has denied the existence of remaining chemical stockpiles in the country. In any case, if chemical weapons have indeed been used by 'Islamic State', it is still unclear how much access they have to it. On February 11, John Brennan, the director of the CIA, stated that the Islamic State had used chemical weapons and had the capability to produce small amounts of chlorine and mustard gas. In this context, 'the use of mustard gas' in the battles of 'ISIS' and rebels in Syria, the French Prime Minister warned of the risk of a chemical attack, and the CIA confirmed that the Islamic State had used chemical weapons.