Islamic State Accused Of Using Chemical Weapons

The US is investigating claims that Islamic State militants have used chemical weapons against security forces in Iraq.

Three Iraqi officials have told the AP news agency that IS fighters used chlorine bombs during clashes last month in the Iraqi towns of Duluiya and Balad, north of Baghdad.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around 40 troops and Shia militiamen were affected. They were treated at a hospital and recovered quickly.

The Washington Post also reported that 11 Iraqi police officers were taken to hospital north of Baghdad suffering from dizziness, vomiting and shortage of breath.

The newspaper said the symptoms were found to be consistent with chlorine poisoning following an alleged IS gas attack.

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1. Gallery: Fresh US-Led Airstrikes on Kobani

   Smoke and flames rise over a hill near the Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in Sanliurfa province

2. US military forces again focused airstrikes on the area near the Syrian city in their campaign to turn back Islamic State forces and also hit oil facilities held by the militant group

7. Three IS fighters pray as others inspect a hill in the outskirts of Kobani

9. A Kurdish fighters position in the outskirts of the Syrian town

11. Members of media watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing

13. Syrians wait to cross to the northern Syrian city of Tal Abyad at the Akcakale border gate in Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey

14. Kurdish refugee children from Kobani in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

16. A Turkish army tank drives downhill, in front of ruins of Kobani

17. A Turkish flag flutters on the top of a silo in the Syrian town

18. Turkish Kurds watch Kobani from a hill near the Mursitpinar border crossing

It added that Iraqi forces claimed two other crude chlorine gas attacks have taken place in recent months, but the details surrounding the allegations were still unclear.

Secretary of State John Kerry said he could not confirm the claims but that the US was taking them "very seriously".

"These allegations are extremely serious and we are seeking additional information in order to be able to determine whether or not we can confirm it," he told reporters.

"The use of any chemical weapons is an abhorrent act, it's against international law, and these recent allegations underscore the importance of the work that we are currently engaged in."

The latest allegations follow reports that IS militants released some form of toxic gas in the embattled Syrian border town of Kobani on Tuesday, where Kurdish fighters have been battling a month-long offensive against the extremist group.

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1. Gallery: Iraq Crisis

   Smoke rises during clashes between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State (IS) militants, in the Hamrin mountains in Diyala province

3. Members of Iraqi security forces patrol looking for militants on the outskirts of Ramadi

5. Shi'ite fighters from Saraya al-Salam clash with militants in Jurf al-Sakhar

9. Shi'ite fighters prepare their weapons in Jurf al-Sakhar

10. Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, worship at their main holy temple Lalish in Shikhan

11. Displaced girls worship at the temple

12. Followers of an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism, the Yazidi fled their homeland in the Sinjar mountains as Islamic State militants, who see them as devil worshippers, seized towns and carried out mass killings

Kurdish officials, who have made similar allegations before, said they lacked the equipment to officially identity the chemicals used.

The claims could not be independently verified, although UN investigators earlier this year said they were virtually certain that chlorine had been used as a chemical weapon in northern Syria.

A US-led coalition is currently engaged in airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. The UK has bombed IS targets in Iraq, but has not taken part in the Syrian strikes.

Allied aircraft pounded a further 12 targets in Iraq on Thursday and Friday and six near Kobani, a US military source said.

France, meanwhile, has revealed that allied forces dropped around 70 bombs in Iraq on Thursday night in a large-scale operation.

Video: Kurdish Fighters Defend Their Land

The target was a weapons supply area and training centre in the Kirkuk region of northern Iraq, France's chief of the defence staff Pierre de Villiers said.

"I think it's safe to say we hurt them last night. The operation is a success," he told French radio.

Overall, US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in Iraq and Syria and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the US military said.

The airstrikes have helped Kurdish militia defending Kobani to hold out against the more heavily armed jihadists but have not stopped IS making new gains in parts of Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday announced that 1,300 Free Syrian Army fighters would be joining Kurds in defending Kobani.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

There are an estimated 2,000 Kurdish fighters battling IS for control of the town.

Some 200,000 Kurds have fled from Syria to Turkey to escape the onslaught.

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