OPINION:
The Islamic State has long-coveted weapons of mass destruction to use against the West, whether it be nuclear, biological or chemical. It seems one of the first uses of WMD against U.S. troops by ISIS has been confirmed in Syria.
ISIS is suspected of firing a shell with mustard agent that landed at the Qayyara air base in Iraq Tuesday where US and Iraqi troops are operating, according to several U.S. officials, reports CNN.
The shell was categorized by officials as either a rocket or artillery shell. After it landed on the base, just south of Mosul, U.S. troops tested it and received an initial reading for a chemical agent they believe is mustard.
“I don’t know of a case like this where it was proximate to US forces like this before,” said one military official, noting that “potentially” the rocket round was “within hundreds of yards” of the U.S. forces and “within the security perimeter” of the base, reports CNN.
The use of mustard gas, which is very easy to produce, has severe implications for further use of the weapon in terror attacks in European and American cities.
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