U.S. officials expect the Islamic State to use crude chemical weapons as it tries to defend Mosul from an assault from Iraqi and Kurdish forces, though the terror group’s ability to develop such weapons is limited.
ISIS has used mustard agent on “multiple” occasions against Kurdish Peshmerga forces, officials say, adding that nobody has been seriously hurt or killed so far. The effect has been fairly negligible, U.S. officials tell Fox News.
Mustard agent gives victims symptoms similar to “poison ivy,” according to one official who said ISIS use of the chemical is more like a “weapon of mass disruption.”
The officials said the threat of mustard agent attack is much less concerning than an attack or threat of using mustard gas. They said ISIS has not used mustard gas to date. – READ MORE
