ERBIL, Iraq
A European accredited laboratory test shows that the extremist group Daesh is using chemical agents in the battlefield against Kurdish Peshmerga forces, the Kurdish region's security council said Saturday.
Peshmerga forces collected soil and clothing samples after a vehicle-borne suicide attack on Jan 23, and the samples were sent for analysis to a coalition partner nation, according to a press release issued by the security council.
"The analysis carried out at an EU-certified laboratory found the samples contained levels of chlorine that suggested the substance was used in weaponized form," the statement said, claiming that this was the first time international investigations proved the extremist group was using chemical agents.
"The (Kurdish region security council) strongly deplores all and any use of such indiscriminate weapons. The fact (Daesh) uses such tactics demonstrates it has lost the initiative and is resorting to desperate measures," it said.
The Jan. 23 attack took place between the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and Syria at Kiske Junction, and was carried out with a truck loaded by around 20 gas canisters.
The attack followed a two-day offensive by Peshmerga forces during which Daesh lost over 200 square kilometers of territory and over 200 fighters.
"In recent fighting around Tikrit, similar attacks have been recorded on video showing plumes of orange smoke, an indicator of the presence of chlorine," the statement said, adding: "it appears as if (Daesh) use weaponized chlorine when they are suffering heavy defeats."
Iraqi forces backed by Shia militias and Kurdish forces have been battling Daesh since June 2014 when the armed group seized Mosul and much of northern and western Iraq.
Daesh massacres and the massive displacement of local people led to the creation of an international coalition against the terror group. The U.S.-led coalition has been staging airstrikes against Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria since mid-September 2014.
The U.S., UK, France, Turkey, Jordan, Australia, and Canada are among the some twenty countries providing air support or other military equipment to the coalition.
