Pentagon confirms coalition strikes against IS chemical weapons capabilities

Washington, March 11: The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that intelligence from a captured Islamic State (IS) chemical weapons expert had led to US-led coalition airstrikes against the extremist group's chemical weapons production facilities.

Calling Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, as IS's "emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing", Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a briefing that his capture by US special forces in Iraq in February offered information that yielded almost immediate results, Xinhua reported.

"The information has resulted in multiple coalition airstrikes that have disrupted and degraded ISIL's ability to produce chemical weapons, and will continue to inform our operations into the future," said Cook, referring to another acronym of the group.

Dawud was transferred on Thursday into Iraqi custody after interrogation, added Cook.

While the spokesman refused to elaborate on the airstrikes, he acknowledged that at this point the US-led coalition was unable to curtail IS's chemical weapons capability entirely.

He also said additional operations would be carried out to "further disrupt and degrade" IS's chemical weapons capability.

IANS