A Pentagon spokesman confirmed this week what is one of America’s military worst fears: that ISIS is going to keep trying until it succeeds in attacking Iraqi and U.S. troops with chemical weapons.
Several thousand U.S. troops are currently in Iraq – and that number continues to climb.
The spokesman actually said ISIS was “dead set” on using chemical weapons, and the terrorist organization was more than likely going to use them during a looming siege on Mosul.
“ISIS fighters are believed to have attacked U.S. and Iraqi forces with a ‘crude’ chemical weapon, a U.S. official told Fox News last week. The U.S base outside Qayyarah, 25 miles south of Mosul, was struck by a rocket and traces of a ‘mustard agent’ were believed to be present, the official said. The attack was first reported by CNN. No one was hurt in the attack.
“‘We fully recognize this is something that ISIL has done before. They’ve done it many times, at least a couple dozen that we know of where they have launched crude makeshift munitions that are filled with this mustard agent,’ Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters.
“According to Reuters, the U.S.-led coalition conducted an air strike on an ISIS chemical weapons factory Friday near Qayyara, the second attack on such a facility this month.”
The weapons ISIS has fashioned with chemicals are crude. But Davis said the group has at least a “basic understanding of making mustard gas,” Fox News reported.
And forces have to anticipate and prepare for such warfare to escalate, Davis said.
From Fox:
“Davis said even though ISIS chemical weapons aren’t perfect, coalition forces still have to be prepared for a chemical attack. He added that the U.S. has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to Iraq – 40,000 going to Iraq security forces.”