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Islamic State Accused Of Using Chemical Weapons

Islamic State Accused Of Using Chemical Weapons

The US is investigating claims that Islamic State militants have used chemical weapons against security forces in Iraq.

Three Iraqi officials have told the AP news agency that IS fighters used chlorine bombs during clashes last month in the Iraqi towns of Duluiya and Balad, north of Baghdad.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around 40 troops and Shia militiamen were affected. They were treated at a hospital and recovered quickly.

The Washington Post also reported that 11 Iraqi police officers were taken to hospital north of Baghdad suffering from dizziness, vomiting and shortage of breath.

The newspaper said the symptoms were found to be consistent with chlorine poisoning following an alleged IS gas attack.

It added that Iraqi forces claimed two other crude chlorine gas attacks have taken place in recent months, but the details surrounding the allegations were still unclear.

Secretary of State John Kerry said he could not confirm the claims but that the US was taking them "very seriously".

"These allegations are extremely serious and we are seeking additional information in order to be able to determine whether or not we can confirm it," he told reporters.

"The use of any chemical weapons is an abhorrent act, it's against international law, and these recent allegations underscore the importance of the work that we are currently engaged in."

The latest allegations follow reports that IS militants released some form of toxic gas in the embattled Syrian border town of Kobani on Tuesday, where Kurdish fighters have been battling a month-long offensive against the extremist group.

Kurdish officials, who have made similar allegations before, said they lacked the equipment to officially identity the chemicals used.

The claims could not be independently verified, although UN investigators earlier this year said they were virtually certain that chlorine had been used as a chemical weapon in northern Syria.

A US-led coalition is currently engaged in airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. The UK has bombed IS targets in Iraq, but has not taken part in the Syrian strikes.

Allied aircraft pounded a further 12 targets in Iraq on Thursday and Friday and six near Kobani, a US military source said.

France, meanwhile, has revealed that allied forces dropped around 70 bombs in Iraq on Thursday night in a large-scale operation.

The target was a weapons supply area and training centre in the Kirkuk region of northern Iraq, France's chief of the defence staff Pierre de Villiers said.

"I think it's safe to say we hurt them last night. The operation is a success," he told French radio.

Overall, US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in Iraq and Syria and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the US military said.

The airstrikes have helped Kurdish militia defending Kobani to hold out against the more heavily armed jihadists but have not stopped IS making new gains in parts of Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday announced that 1,300 Free Syrian Army fighters would be joining Kurds in defending Kobani.

There are an estimated 2,000 Kurdish fighters battling IS for control of the town.

Some 200,000 Kurds have fled from Syria to Turkey to escape the onslaught.