ISIS uses chemical weapons against army in Iraq

Baghdad, Sep 19: The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has reportedly launched a chemical attack on Iraqi forces in Saladin province, media reports claimed on Friday.

The attack took place Wednesday and Thursday in the town of Dhuluiya, and left around a dozen people and army personnal affected, Press TV reported citing local media.

Dhuluiya has been under IS control for more than two months.

Earlier in July, Iraq had warned that the IS militants have taken control of a huge former chemical weapons facility northwest of Iraq's capital Baghdad.

Iraq's Ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Ali Alhakim said in a letter that remnants of 2,500 chemical rockets filled with the deadly nerve agent sarin were kept along with other chemical warfare agents in a facility 55 km northwest of Baghdad. He added that the site's surveillance system showed that some equipment had been looted after "armed terrorist groups" penetrated the site June 11.

According a report by UN inspectors, the facility contained 2,500 sarin-filled chemical rockets along with about 180 tonnes of sodium cyanide, which is "a very toxic chemical and a precursor for the warfare agent tabun".

It added that 2,000 empty artillery shells contaminated with the chemical warfare agent mustard and 605 one-tonne mustard containers with residues were also kept at the facility.

IANS