Islamic State Suspected of Using Chemical Weapons, U.S. Officials Tell The

Now U.S. officials are focused on figuring out exactly what happened in the attack, and if mustard gas was used, how the terrorist group obtained it.

But experts sounded a word of caution over the reports that a mustard agent had been used in Iraq.

Mustard gas is an asphyxiant that has been banned in war by the UN since 1993.

“ISIS is a group that has demonstrated time and again its willingness to stop at nothing”, the official said.

The White House’s National Security Council said it was aware of the reports and was seeking more information. He noted that ISIS had been accused of using such weapons before. “We continue to monitor these reports intently, & would additional stress in that any use of chemical compounds or biological material as a weapon is totally inconsistent with global standards & norms relating to such capabilities”, he stated.

Peshmerga fighters told AFP Thursday that they had been the target of a chemical attack on Tuesday.

It is unclear how much mustard agent Islamic State might have obtained. Already, those forces have struggled to match the might of the well-funded and heavily armed extremist group. She said anyone responsible should be held accountable.

In addition to mustard, the Assad regime admitted to having deadlier nerve agents, such as sarin and VX.

Officials say these forces may need specialized equipment and training to help protect them against unconventional weapons if they become a fixture on the battlefield. “When used as a weapon, chlorine is usually grouped as a choking agent as they mainly inflict injury on the respiratory tract”, he said.

It is also possible that the chemical could have been found in Saddam-era weapons stores.

A Germany Ministry of Defense spokesman told CNN it can not confirm or rule out that there was a chemical attack in the region where German military advisers train peshmerga forces. Don’t include URLs to Web sites. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. But these suggestions should be sent To avoid distracting other readers, we won’t publish comments that suggest a correction.