ISIS suspected of using mustard gas

[Fbolt]

If true, changes the complexion of this "war"

Washington (CNN)

ISIS is suspected of firing a shell with mustard agent that landed at the Qayyara air base in Iraq Tuesday where US and Iraqi troops are operating, according to several US officials.

The shell was categorized by officials as either a rocket or artillery shell. After it landed on the base, just south of Mosul, US troops tested it and received an initial reading for a chemical agent they believe is mustard.

No US troops were hurt or have displayed symptoms of exposure to mustard agent.
One official said the agent had "low purity" and was "poorly weaponized." A second official called it "ineffective."

A US defense official said troops had gone out to look at the ordnance after it landed. Based on seeing what they thought was a suspect substance, two field tests were conducted. The first test was positive and the second was negative, the official said. The substance is now being sent to a lab for further examination.

US troops involved in the incident went through decontamination showers as a precaution. No troops have shown any symptoms of exposure, such as skin blistering. CNN has reported on previous instances where ISIS has fired rounds with mustard agents in Iraq and Syria.

"I don't know of a case like this where it was proximate to US forces like this before," said one military official, noting that "potentially" the rocket round was "within hundreds of yards" of the US forces and "within the security perimeter" of the base.

The US officials said they "had expected" that ISIS might try use chemical weapons as US and Iraqi forces push towards Mosul in an effort to take the city back from ISIS. Several hundred US troops are using the base as a staging area for supporting Iraqi forces.

All of this has led the Pentagon to assess on a preliminary basis that it was ISIS that fired at the base, since the terror group has been making mustard agent for some time.
In the course of its air campaign against ISIS, US airstrikes have hit several locations the US believes are production sites for mustard agent.

US officials emphasized that mustard agent is relatively easy to produce, and they continue to hit suspected manufacturing sites when they find them. US troops are routinely outfitted with protective gear in the event of a chemical weapons attack.

CNN's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

 

[Fbolt]

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/men...tard-gas-use-september-isis-chemical-attacks/

Signs of Mustard Gas Use in September ISIS Chemical Attacks

September 21, 2016

By Eliot Higgins

On September 16th 2016 social media reports began to surface of a chemical weapons attacks by ISIS on multiple villages in the Aleppo area. Initial reports included images of a munition and blisters alleged to be the result of the attacks:

Additional media reports also included the names of additional locations which were reportedly involved with the attack, including Harbal, near Maarat Umm Hawsh (Umm Hosh), and Afrin.

One video about the attack was also uploaded to YouTube:

The witness at the state of the video states the following :

Symptoms appeared in my son’s eyes and chest but he’s fine as he was working outside. My daughter and the woman inside who is our neighbour are the most affected. My daughter was in her house.

The woman who was attacked doesn’t have any family. She was affected badly by chemical weapons.

At 01:41:

I’m from the area of Deir-Hafer. We were attacked by a missile. One person was died and 2 girls. The missile hit our neighbour’s house. I went there to help them.

I don’t have anything: No food, No water, I don’t have clothes for my children. My husband was detained by ISIS. Look at my neighbour here, she is really suffering as a result of the chemical attack.

It’s notable that Deir-Hafer is over 70km away from the other locations mentioned in other reports in the press and social media.

A relatively small number of images and reports were produced from these alleged attacks, but two things are notable about those images. Firstly, the blisters shown in the images of the attacks would indicate mustard gas was in at least some of the attacks. This type of blistering has been seen in previous mustard gas attacks by ISIS, and the symptoms displayed are consistent with signs of mustard gas exposure (more details of which can be found here). While it is impossible to say with 100% certainty which agent was used, it seems likely the agent used was mustard gas.

The second notable element to these attacks is the munition used. On August 16th 2016 another ISIS chemical attack was reported in the town of Marea, Aleppo. Marea is located close to the location of many of the September attacks, and the earlier Marea attack was documented by Bellingcat, which included images of the munition used. In the below comparison image the top munition is from the alleged ISIS attack in Marea in August, and the lower image is from the September attacks:
munition-comparison

The munition used in both attacks are clearly the same design of munition, a mortar shell that matches no known chemical munition. It seems likely the munition has been manufactured by ISIS, with the source of the chemical fill as yet unknown.

Based on the current open source evidence it is difficult to confirm the number of attacks that took place in September, whether or not every attack involved the mortar shells described above, the total number of victims, and the symptoms presented by victims of the attack. Despite all this it is clear further investigation of these attacks is warranted, as it strongly indicates ISIS has the capability and willingness to deploy chemical weapons on civilian populations in Syria.