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Kurdish fighters report being attacked with chemical weapons by Isis

The affected soldiers experienced burning in their noses and throats, severe headaches and vomiting

Doug Bolton
Thursday 13 August 2015 20:08 BST
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An Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighter fires on an Isis position
An Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighter fires on an Isis position

Kurdish forces fighting against Isis claim that the extremist group has used chemical weapons against them, according to Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence.

A German official, speaking to The Guardian on condition of anonymity, said that Kurdish peshmerga forces near the northern Iraqi city of Irbil were attacked with rockets filled with chlorine gas.

The official said that many of the soldiers reported the rockets released a yellow gas that smelled like rotten onions upon impact. He added that some were left with breathing problems and irritation.

No deaths occurred and German military personnel, around 90 of whom are supporting the peshmerga against Isis, were not present during the attack.

Other affects from the reported gas attack included severe headaches, muscle pain, impaired mobility and vomiting.

Footage captured by an Iraqi bomb disposal team shows another suspected gas attack

The peshmerga are the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region in the north of Iraq.

It is not the first time that Isis has been accused of using chemical weapons - in March, an Iraqi bomb disposal team captured footage of thick orange gas coming from a detonated roadside bomb.

A handful of other suspected incident have been reported since then.

The rockets were reportedly Katyusha rockets, which were developed by the Soviet Union during World War Two. The rockets have gone on to be used by a number of other militaries and militant groups.

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