Pentagon: Daesh used chemical weapon in attack against US base

Daesh forces fired chemical weapons at US troops in Iraq, the Pentagon has confirmed.

The attack came from a powdered mustard weapon, a banned chemical weapon, disguised in a mortar or rocket shell, and was fired on US forces on Wednesday at the Qayyarah West Airfield close to the northern city of Mosul. Tests performed showed the powdered weapon Deash used was “imprecise and crude” but not strong enough to inflict major injuries or death.

“[It’s] the same thing we have seen [Daesh] use to little effect many times in the past in both Syria and Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said. “This attack has not impacted our mission in any way, nor have we changed our security posture in the area around Qayyarah.”

The chemical weapon mustard becomes lethal when used in massive doses as was the case when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used the weapon on Kurdish civilians in the 1980s.

According to CIA Director John Brennan, Daesh has used similar techniques with chemical products including mustard in Iraq and Syria.

Though Hussein reportedly destroyed his chemical stockpiles before the invasion, certain manufactured chemical materials were seized from former Daesh territories which had been used on US soldiers and marines, according to the New York Times.

Hundreds of US troops are currently based in Qayyarah West for an anticipated offensive against Daesh forces in Mosul, the capital of the group in Iraq.