U.S. Military Orders Troops To Prepare For Chemical Attacks
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Countless articles have been written predicting a grim future where biological and chemical weapons may end up in terrorists’ hands. That future may already be here.
During the past several days, more reports have been received of chemical attacks in Syria and Iraq by the Islamic State terror organization, otherwise known as ISIS. On August 11th, Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported of a mortar attack by ISIS in the north of Iraq – an attack which was established as having been accompanied by chemical weapons after reports on yellow smoke in the area were received. A couple of weeks or so after that, a rocket suspected of carrying chemical weapons was fired by ISIS at Kurdish Peshmerga forces guarding the Mosul Dam, the Kurdish media news agency Rudaw reported.
“[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 Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Killea, During a briefing in the Pentagon at the end of August.
Following recent reports about ISIS acquiring and using chemical weapons, the United States military has called on 3,500 of its soldiers stationed in Iraq to reacquaint themselves with their chemical weapons suits and procedures. “It is a precautionary measure,” explain a defense official. The pentagon did not approve the order given to the soldiers publically, but told press that the American soldiers stationed in Iraq are getting prepared to a chemical attack by ISIS. “The commanders in the field are making sure their troops are adequately prepared for the threats they may face,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.
