WASHINGTON
The U.S. voiced concern on Friday about a report that alleges Daesh extremists have been making and using crude chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria.
“Any report of the potential use of -- or possession of chemical weapons by a group like ISIL is obviously deeply concerning to us,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby. “It's the last thing you'd want to see these murderers get their hands on.”
U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that Daesh is creating and deploying chemical weapon in Iraq and Syria, particularly mustard agents the BBC reported, citing an anonymous U.S. official.
The official said the chemical agent was likely used in powder form and packed into conventional munitions like mortar rounds.
A BBC team on the Turkey-Syria border reportedly saw evidence to corroborate the claims.
Kirby did not confirm the official’s claims, stressing that he was not going “to get into tit-for-tat with every anonymous official who clearly isn't speaking for the U.S. government.”
Still, he stressed that “we take it all very seriously. I know DoD is looking into some specific claims, but I can't vouch any veracity here,” referring to the Department of Defense.
Daesh claimed control of large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
