IS fights back frantically, 1,000 civilians inhale toxic gas

(Baonghean.vn) - The battle to retake Mosul by the Iraqi army from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) has many dramatic developments on the ground.

Many people had to be hospitalized for inhaling toxic gas. Photo: RT.

Hundreds of people in Iraq are receiving respiratory treatment due to the effects of toxic gas after a sulfur plant was set on fire by IS, US military officials said on October 22.

IS militants set fire to the chemical plant on October 20, as they fled a counterattack by Iraqi government forces advancing on their stronghold of Mosul.

US military officials also confirmed that on October 22, the wind carrying toxic smoke forced US forces stationed at the Qayyarah West military airport, near Mosul, to wear oxygen masks. Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reported that nearly 1,000 others were also being treated for respiratory problems.

An Iraqi military commander said two civilians near the plant died from exposure to toxic gas.

Regarding the fighting situation on the ground, on the morning of October 22, Iraqi army forces recaptured the town of Qaraqosh, 20 km southeast of Mosul city, which had been occupied by IS since 2014. Qaraqosh was the largest Christian town in Iraq before the war broke out.

Iraqi troops are only 20 km from Mosul, causing IS to fight back frantically. Photo: AP.

The Iraqi army is also trying to retake a neighboring Christian village called Karemlash.

The battle for Mosul is said to be the biggest in Iraq since the US-led coalition invaded the Middle Eastern country in 2013. The Iraqi army is pushing forward from the south and east, while Kurdish fighters hold the front line in the east and north.

Since the start of the operation to retake Mosul earlier this week, Iraqi forces have regained control of nearly 50 villages around Mosul, an IS stronghold with an estimated 5,000-6,000 militants. There are currently about 5,000 US troops stationed in Iraq.

Iraqi troops also regained control of the city of Kirkuk on October 22 and gradually lifted a curfew imposed after fighting there killed at least 50 people and injured 80 others.

Lan Ha

(According to Guardian)