Iraq: 'No evidence' of IS chemical attack in Mosul

Iraq: 'No evidence' of IS chemical attack in Mosul
UN envoy says no Islamic State group chemical attack took place in Mosul, despite reports indicating that one occurred earlier in March.
2 min read
11 March, 2017
Iraq's envoy to the United Nations says there was no evidence that the Islamic State group had used chemical weapons in the battle for Mosul.

Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim said he conveyed the information to the international body after speaking with his government in Baghdad on Friday.

"There is really no evidence that Daesh [IS] has used this chemical weapon," Alhakim told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on Iraq.

He added that Iraq had been in contact with The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which could dispatch a team of experts in the event of a suspected toxic gas attack.

Earlier this month, The Red Cross reported that seven people, five of whom were children, had been hospitalised near Mosul due to exposure to a chemical agent.

The US Defence Department also claimed that Islamic State militants were developing chemical weapons, including mustard gas, at the University of Mosul.

Following the closed-door Security Council meeting on Iraq, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the Iraqi investigation of the alleged chemical attacks had not been completed and that the council had expressed concern.

"We look forward to the results of Iraq's investigation into those allegations," said Rycroft, who holds the council presidency this month.