Daesh carried out chemical attacks in Iraq, Syria: US
The US State Department says Washington believes Daesh terrorists carried out chemical attacks in Syria and Iraq.
Spokesman Mark Toner made the announcement after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that Syrians were exposed to sulfur mustard north of Aleppo last August.
“We believe that the Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant, ISIL, or Daesh, was responsible for a sulfur mustard attack in Mare in August 21st, 2015, largely based on photographic evidence as well as Syrian opposition's description of the event. We also believe, based on the available information, that Daesh, or ISIL, was likely responsible for some of the alleged attacks using sulfur mustard in Iraq," said Toner.
The OPCW also said 35 Iraqi Kurdish fighters were sickened by sulfur mustard on the battlefield back then.
A confidential October 29 report by the OPCW concluded that at least two Syrians were exposed to sulfur mustard in Mare, north of Aleppo.
The gas use violates United Nations Security Council resolutions and the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Sulfur mustard is a Class 1 chemical agent, which means it has very few uses outside chemical warfare.
Used with lethal effectiveness in World War One, it causes severe delayed burns to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.
Now Scott Rickard, former American Intelligence linguist, has described the State Department “posturing” as a way “to justify a ground attack” against ISIL militants.
Last week, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director said the Daesh terrorist group has used chemical weapons in its attacks and is capable of making small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas.
Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since ISIL Takfiris launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.
Daesh Takfiris have also been wreaking havoc on Syria, where the country has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. The United States and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria since the beginning of the crisis.
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