Pentagon: Early tests show ISIS may have used chemical weapons

The Pentagon says initial field tests show the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may have used a chemical weapon against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters during an Aug. 11 attack in Makmur, Iraq. 

A coalition task force spokesman said Friday that the Peshmerga fighters collected fragments of a mortar that showed the existence of mustard gas, and brought it to the coalition.

{mosads}”A couple of days later [we] were able to take the fragments from some of those mortar rounds and do a field test, a presumptive field test on those fragments and they showed the presence of HD, or what is known as sulfur mustard. That is a class one chemical agent,” said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Killea, chief of staff for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

However, Killea cautioned that it was only an initial field test, and that more testing is being done to make a definite assessment.

“Now it’s very, very important to understand here, that that is a presumptive field test and it is not conclusive, and what those results tell us is merely the presence of that chemical, it doesn’t tell us anything more than that.

“So it’s going to take us a couple of weeks to do the full testing on those fragments to figure out exactly what was contained in or on those mortar rounds before we make a determination on exactly what it was, potentially how much it was, and maybe even where it came from,” Killea said.

“So I would ask everybody’s patience on that until the … full tests are returned,” he added.

Reports of a potential chemical weapons attack by ISIS raised alarm that the terrorist group had gained a new capability, and also raised questions over where it may have obtained them.

Asked whether there are concerns over Peshmerga fighters providing the U.S. with misleading evidence, Killea said, “Absolutely there’s concerns with that.”

“We have only a field test that shows us the presence of HD on those fragments and until we do full testing, and we know the exact composition of the makeup of whatever was in those mortar rounds or on them, and other tests,” he said, “we won’t be able to have a firm decision on exactly what happened there.”

“From a coalition perspective, we really don’t need another reason to hunt down ISIL and kill them wherever we can and whenever we can,” Killea continued, using another acronym for ISIS.

“However, it’s important that any indication of use of a chemical warfare agent purely from our perspective reinforces our position that this is an abhorrent group that will kill indiscriminately without any moral or legal code or restraint.”