US official: 'IS making and using chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria'

[webfact]

US official: 'IS making and using chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria'
By Paul Blake
BBC News, Washington

WASHINGTON: -- There is a growing belief within the US government that the Islamic State militant group is making and using crude chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria, a US official has told the BBC.

The US has identified at least four occasions on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border where IS has used mustard agents, the official said.

The official said the chemical was being used in powder form.

The US believes the group has a cell dedicated to building these weapons.

"They're using mustard," the individual said of IS. "We know they are."

The mustard agent was probably being used in powder form and packed into traditional explosives like mortar rounds, the official said.

When these weapons explode the mustard-laced dust blisters those who are exposed to it.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34211838


-- BBC 2015-09-11

[ezzra]

Take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch, had you defatted ISIS in time, and didn't armed them to topple Assad's regime, all that ISIS and the refugees mess would not have happened... stick that in your memoirs and smoke it Mr president.....

[Seastallion]

The existence and use of chemical weapons was one of the compelling reasons (and a real and truthful one, unlike others), the US used to go to war with Iraq.

Hopefully, this use of chemical weapons will galvanise the UNSC to do something.

Ahhh....Russia is in the way. There's that UNSC veto acting against doing the right thing again.

[alant]

WMD in the middle east, now where have I heard that one before???

[Emster23]

BBC seems to report government doing it too. Is this any coincidence it comes out just when Russia may actually put some "boots on the ground" (I assume with soldiers wearing them...)?

"take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch" Ah c'mon ya gotta give Bush II credit for setting this whole mess in motion. No problems with terrorists when Saddam was there.

[metisdead]

Some conspiracy theories have been removed.

[yardrunner]

The existence and use of chemical weapons was one of the compelling reasons (and a real and truthful one, unlike others), the US used to go to war with Iraq.

Hopefully, this use of chemical weapons will galvanise the UNSC to do something.

Ahhh....Russia is in the way. There's that UNSC veto acting against doing the right thing again.

Were those the same weapons of mass destruction that Tony Blair used as an excuse for the UK to join in the Iraq war, yes that's right the non existent weapons of mass destruction

[Anthony5]

BBC seems to report government doing it too. Is this any coincidence it comes out just when Russia may actually put some "boots on the ground" (I assume with soldiers wearing them...)?

"take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch" Ah c'mon ya gotta give Bush II credit for setting this whole mess in motion. No problems with terrorists when Saddam was there.

IS was created by the US warmongering machine, long before Obama came into the picture.

[umbanda]

Not a problem at all....the same ..same history... but very clear and easy to resolve according with the USA-UK system.....

Edited September 11, 2015 by umbanda

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch, had you defatted ISIS in time, and didn't armed them to topple Assad's regime, all that ISIS and the refugees mess would not have happened... stick that in your memoirs and smoke it Mr president.....

so the Bush regime was in no way responsible for this?

Their illegal war based on lies is 100% responsible for destabilizing the middle east.

[simple1]

Take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch, had you defatted ISIS in time, and didn't armed them to topple Assad's regime, all that ISIS and the refugees mess would not have happened... stick that in your memoirs and smoke it Mr president.....

so the Bush regime was in no way responsible for this?

Their illegal war based on lies is 100% responsible for destabilizing the middle east.

Paul Bremer interview...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/paul-bremer-on-iraq-ten-years-on-we-made-major-strategic-mistakes-but-i-still-think-iraqis-are-far-better-off-8539767.html

[MrTee]

Seems the west is now stepping up the propaganda in order to launch attacks in Syria..

No different than the 45 minutes & WMD lies we've seen before.


It was reported many years ago that Chemical weapons were being used in Syria..

[Mudcrab]

Take note Mr Obama, all this is on your head and you have let it happened on your watch, had you defatted ISIS in time, and didn't armed them to topple Assad's regime, all that ISIS and the refugees mess would not have happened... stick that in your memoirs and smoke it Mr president.....

so the Bush regime was in no way responsible for this?

Their illegal war based on lies is 100% responsible for destabilizing the middle east.

Was Bin Laden no way responsible for this?

Was the Russian invasion of Afghanistan no way responsible for this.

There are so many factors involved - way back to the arbitrary formation of countries post WW2 that can be linked to this current issue.

The only common factor is the middle eastern people.

There will never be a satisfactory solution to any of this...it is simply just not in the nature of middle eastern people as a whole.

They seem to thrive on conflict, blame and revenge.

I can't see this changing anytime soon.

While it was confined to the middle east it was tolerable.

But now their particular brand of poison is spreading and spreading rapidly and that is very worrying.

Only brutal decisive action from the rest of the world will have any effect.

If this is not forthcoming then get used to the idea of your granddaughters wearing burkas and being second class humans.

Forever.