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Chemical watchdog voices concern over Daesh gas attack

An AFP photo shows the OPCW headquarters in The Hague

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has expressed  serious concern over reports that the Daesh Takfiri group has again used chemical weapons in Iraq.

"Recent reports of possible use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-state actors are a matter of serious concern," The Hague-based OPCW said in a statement on Monday. 

The world’s chemical watchdog noted that it has been in contact with the Iraqi government and "will examine any substantive reports it receives."

This comes after German officials announced last week that Iraqi Kurdish fighters had been attacked with chemical weapons, possibly chlorine or mustard gas. 

The Takfiris reportedly carried out the attack using mortar shells carrying a chemical agent. The attack  injured a total of 15 Kurdish fighters, leaving them suffering from respiratory irritation.

Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq say Daesh terrorists also used chlorine in a car bomb attack on January 23.

The militants are also accused of targeting Kurdish Peshmerga fighters with a projectile filled with an unknown chemical agent back in June.

Last month, the Conflict Armament Research group and Sahan Research group said that it had documented two such attacks against Kurdish fighters in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh Province on June 28. 

The Kurdish fighters experienced burning of the throat, eyes and nose, severe headaches, muscle pain, impaired concentration and mobility, and vomiting, the group noted

Furthermore, several US intelligence and military officials have confirmed that Daesh terrorists recently used mustard agent as a weapon in the strategic northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah.

The file photo of Daesh-recruited terrorists in Syria (AFP)

 

On Friday, US media outlets cited multiple sources as saying that the government has test results from the militant attack in the Syrian town from two weeks ago that confirm the terror group used the mustard agent.

The officials noted that investigations were still underway to determine the amount of the agent and how it was delivered.

Sources say it is yet another sign that Daesh is in possession of the mustard agent and is using it in battle.

The terrorist group is notorious for its barbarity, heinous atrocities and sacrilegious acts. Daesh militants have been accused of committing gross human rights violations and war crimes in areas they control, particularly in Libya, Syria, and Iraq.


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