Kurdish Officials Say Islamic State Used Chlorine in Attack

The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq announced on Saturday that it has evidence that the Islamic State used chlorine gas in a suicide bomb attack on January 23 between Mosul and the Iraq-Syria border. Kurdish officials said that lab tests showed traces of chlorine, though these tests have not been independently corroborated. Iraqi forces in ...

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The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq announced on Saturday that it has evidence that the Islamic State used chlorine gas in a suicide bomb attack on January 23 between Mosul and the Iraq-Syria border. Kurdish officials said that lab tests showed traces of chlorine, though these tests have not been independently corroborated. Iraqi forces in Tikrit have found chlorine in Islamic State facilities, which they believe were being used in weapons. The Islamic State has been accused of using chlorine before, but this would be the first time it has been proven to have used chemical weapons.

The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq announced on Saturday that it has evidence that the Islamic State used chlorine gas in a suicide bomb attack on January 23 between Mosul and the Iraq-Syria border. Kurdish officials said that lab tests showed traces of chlorine, though these tests have not been independently corroborated. Iraqi forces in Tikrit have found chlorine in Islamic State facilities, which they believe were being used in weapons. The Islamic State has been accused of using chlorine before, but this would be the first time it has been proven to have used chemical weapons.

The announcement comes as Kurdish Peshmerga make new gains against the Islamic State and Iraqi forces continue their offensive to retake the city of Tikrit. The battle in Tikrit is currently stalled as the Iraqi Security Forces await reinforcements and to allow civilians to leave the city, security officials have told reporters.

United States willing to negotiate with Assad

Secretary of State John Kerry signaled his willingness to engage in negotiations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to find a resolution to the Syrian civil war, though he noted the current situation is not conducive to the regime making compromises. “We have to negotiate in the end,” Kerry told CBS News in an interview in Egypt. “What we’re pushing for is to get him to come and do that, and it may require that there be increased pressure on him of various kinds.”

Headlines

  • A court in Iran sentenced the son of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was active during the popular protests in 2009, to 15 years in prison for “security offenses and financial crimes.”

 

  • The leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Sunday that he has been engaging in indirect talks with Saudi Arabia since last Friday.

 

  • The Libya Dawn militia, in coordination with forces from Misrata, have begun bombing the city of Sirte ahead of an offensive to push out Islamic State fighters.

 

  • The P5+1 and Iran resumed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program this morning in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

  •  The United Arab Emirates has ordered dozens of Shiite Lebanese to leave the country or face deportation.

 

-J. Dana Stuster

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

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