US Anticipates Use of Chemical Weapons by Islamic State in Mosul Conflict

As the Islamic State tries to fend off an Iraqi-led assault on the city of Mosul, the United States anticipates Islamic State to utilize crude chemical weapons, US officials say. Though they added that the group’s technical ability to create such weapons is extremely limited.

One official said that the US is wary of the militant group given their use of a mustard agent in the months preceding Monday’s commencement of the Mosul offensive. Consequently, US forces have started to consistently collect shell fragments to test for potential chemical agents.

A second official said that in a formerly undisclosed incident, US forces verified the existence of sulfur mustard agent on Islamic State munition fragments on October 5.

The attack was aimed at local forces, not coalition or US troops.

US officials believe that conventional weapons are still the most serious risk for attacking Kurdish and Iraqi troops. They don’t think Islamic State has been effective so far at developing chemical weapons with specifically fatal results.

Sulfur mustard agent causes exposed skin and lungs to swell up. However, that would not be fatal at low doses.

Close to 5,000 US forces are in Iraq. At least 100 of them are inserted with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces involved with the Mosul offensive. They are assigned in an advisory role counseling commanders. The advisers also help ensure coalition air-power hits the appropriate targets, officials said. They added that those forces are not at the frontlines.

The collapse of Mosul would signify the fall of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq. On the other hand, this could also lead to sectarian bloodletting and land grabs between factions that fought each other following the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

One million potential humans shields for IS

US President Barack Obama appraised on Thursday that around 1 million civilians were still in Mosul. This creates a challenge for Iraq and its Western allies attempting to drive out the group through force.

Thomas Weiss, the Iraq chief of the International Organization for Migration, said on Tuesday he expected Islamic State forces to use Mosul residents as human shields. He also voiced out his concerns about the risks of chemical agents.

Weiss added that the IOM had not managed to secure many gas masks yet.

The allied assault could lead to a complicated, prolonged battle, as attacking Iraqi forces remain 12 to 30 miles from the city itself. US officials believe that ISIL is most likely to use chemical weapons later in the campaign.

The leader of Islamic State was reported to be among thousands of fanatical militants still in the city. This suggests the group would go all out to hold off the coalition.

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