Reports: ISIL used mustard gas against Kurds

Jim Michaels | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Islamic State militants allegedly used deadly mustard gas against Kurdish forces in Iraq this week, according to media reports that cited unnamed U.S. officials.

“We’re looking into the reports,” Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said Thursday night.

The Wall Street Journal and NBC News reported the allegations, citing unnamed defense and intelligence officials, about the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

“As in previous instances of alleged ISIL use of chemicals as weapons, we are aware of the reports and are seeking additional information," National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said in an email.

"We continue to monitor these reports closely, and would further stress that any use of chemicals or biological material as a weapon is completely inconsistent with international standards and norms regarding such capabilities," he said.

The Islamic State was previously accused of using chlorine gas in weapons.

The German Defense Ministry, which has a training mission in the Kurdish region, said it received the report of the incident, but has not confirmed the allegation. The incident is alleged to have occurred in an area about 40 miles southwest of Irbil.

Mustard gas is a deadly agent that was used extensively in World War I, causing blisters on the skin and lungs. The chemical could be disbursed with artillery shells or rockets.

The Journal reported that militants could have gotten mustard gas in Syria. The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad acknowledged having mustard gas in 2013 when it agreed to give up its chemical arsenal, the newspaper said.

The Kurds were the victims of a massive chemical attack in 1988 when the regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein unleashed chemical weapons in the town of Halabja, killing thousands.