Iraq crisis: ISIL uses chemical arms against Kurds

Local Peshmerga Commander Gwer-Makhmour Sirwan Barzani told the Kurdish media network Rudaw that the Daesh chemical raid on Saturday wounded at least 14 Kurdish soldiers.

Peshmerga fighters launched a counterattack and used heavy equipment to diffuse the poisonous gas.


“The state of those injured Peshmerga troops is stable,” Barzani said, adding, “After a counterattack by Kurdish forces, the situation at the battlefield has stabilized.”

Last week, Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu said fact-finding teams from The Hague-based watchdog have discovered traces of sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, in attacks carried out by Daesh.

On May 9, Kurdish sources said the terrorists launched several mortar rounds containing chlorine gas at the village of Bashir in Kirkuk Province. Scores of Peshmerga fighters suffered temporary respiratory problems and nausea in the assault.

Back in March, Daesh militants launched two chemical attacks near the northern city of Kirkuk, killing a three-year-old girl and wounding hundreds of people.

Iraqi forces and allies such as the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been engaged in operations to win back area that have been under the control of terrorists since June 2014, when Daesh launched its offensive and took control over parts of northern and western Iraq.

KD