IS fires chemical weapons at US troops

(Baonghean.vn) - The US military said on September 22 that a missile landed not far from the US Air Force's West Qayara base in northern Iraq, which may have contained mustard gas.

West Qayara Air Base after being recaptured from IS. Photo: AP

US news channel CNN quoted a US defense official as saying that soldiers, while preparing to attack to retake Mosul from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), discovered the missile after it landed outside the West Qayara base.

No one was injured in the attack, according to an unnamed US military official, who said there were hundreds of US troops at the West Qayara base.

CNN reported that no US troops have shown symptoms of exposure to mustard agent. CNN also reported that a US official said the mustard agent in the missile was of "low purity" and "low weaponization", while another official said it was "ineffective".

The AP news agency quoted an official as saying that the recent missile attack was a minor military action. He added that a small group of US soldiers found a black slime on the missile fragments. An initial test showed it contained residue of mustard agent, but a second test came back negative.

The missile debris has now been sent to the laboratory for further investigation.

Thanh Hien

(According to Telegraph)