Islamic State jihadists have renewed attacks with chemical weapons on Kurdish positions in northern Iraq, sending a warning in advance of allies' plans to attack Mosul.
Iraqi Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, say they have been hit twice in one week by what appeared to be chlorine gas, most recently on Tuesday night.
The after-effects of the second attack, on a village near the town of Gwer south east of Mosul, was witnessed by Hamish de Bretton Gordon, a former British Army colonel who now gives training to forces like the Peshmerga.
He said the descriptions soldiers gave of the attack indicated it had been with chlorine gas or maybe even mustard gas, both of which are banned from use in war.
“Isil have attacked the Peshmerga with chemical weapons at least 10 times in the last 6 weeks alone,” he said. “It is clear that Isil units do have chemical weapons in forward positions, and are very happy to use them.”
Col Srud al-Bazanji, the chief of staff for the sector that was hit, said Isil were sending a warning that they would do anything to defend Mosul, when the allies start their predicted offensive to take Iraq’s second largest city, the biggest prize in the jihadists’ hands.
“For sure if we attack Mosul anything they have they will use,” he said.
Chlorine gas does not cause a high death toll, and mustard gas is notoriously ineffective as an offensive weapon, but both are banned by international laws of war and both have a powerful psychological effect.
“Normal weapons are better at causing death and injury but if you think chemical weapons are being used you are more afraid,” Col Bazanji said.
Isil are known to have seized large quantities of industrial chlorine and are thought to be able to manufacture their own mustard gas.
They have used them sporadically in their campaigns especially in Iraq, but may be relying on them more as they begin to lose territory.
A preliminary campaign by the Peshmerga to take approaches to Mosul is making slow progress.
President Obama, in an interview this week, set out a much longer time-frame for the recapture of the city than has previously been suggested, saying only that “we will have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall” by the end of this year.
Privately, officials do not expect a final assault until early 2017 at the soonest.
Col Bazanji said eight Peshmerga had been affected by Tuesday night’s attack. “The uninjured soldiers talked of a yellowish gas and those unable to flee suffered from difficulty in breathing and choking,” Mr de Bretton Gordon said. “On the face of it this sounds like chlorine.”
In the previous attack, on Sunday, also near Gwer, one Peshmerga died and four more were injured, all apparently from suffocation from the effects of gas.
The Telegraph
