Iraq Kurdish forces attacked with chemical weapon

BERLIN:  Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State IS
jihadists in northern Iraq have reported being
attacked with chemical weapons in recent days
the German defence ministry said Thursday.

The allegations ,deemed plausible:" by a US
official ,follow claims in March by the autonomous
Kurdish government  in northern Iraq which
said it had evidence that the jihadist group
used chlorine in a car bomb attack on January
23.

"We have indications that there was an attack
with chemical weapons"against Kurdish peshmerga
fighters that left many suffering from respiratory
irritation "a German defence ministry spokesman
told AFP

A senio official from the peshmerga told AFP
the attack happened this week and wounded
several dozen fighters.

Last Tuesday  afternoon ,peshmerga forces
in the Makhmur area 50 kilometres( 30 miles )
west of the city of Arbil were attacked
with Katyusha rockets filled with chlorine
"The peshmerga official said on condition
of anonymity.

The defence ministry in Germany which is
providing arms and weapons training to
the Kurdish forces said that "American
and Iraq specialists from Baghdad are
on their way to find out what happened"

A ministry spokesman had said earlier
"there was a chemical weapons attack"
near Arbil,the capital of Iraq's Kurdish
region.

A second ministry spokesman later stressed
that German forces were not present during
the attack,but that "we have indications that
there was an attack with chemical weapons

Germany has been supporting peshmerga
fighters since September 10 to back their
push against IS jihadists and currently has
about 90 personal on the ground.

"German soldiers were not affected or in
danger" during the reported attack,the
spokesman said The protection of our soldiers
in northern Iraq is already at the highest
level"

US official,speaking on condition of
anonymity said ,on Thursday that claims
IS had used chemical weapons on the Kurds
were "plausible"

The Pentagon meanwhile ,said it was "seeking
additional information "about the alleged
attack.

"We continue to take these and all allegations
of chemical weapons use very seriously,"
said Pentagon spokesman Nevy Captain
Jeff Davis
AFP