"There was a chemical weapons attack" southwest of Arbil, a ministry spokesman told AFP, adding that some Kurdish fighters suffered respiratory problems while German military trainers were unhurt.
The chemical agent had been delivered with mortar or artillery shells, said the spokesman, who did not say who was suspected of carrying out the attack.
"American and Iraqi specialists from Baghdad are on their way to find out what happened," he added.
Germany has been supporting the Kurdish peshmerga fighters with arms shipments and weapons training since September to back the fight against ISIL terrorists, and currently has about 90 personnel on the ground.
"German soldiers were not affected or in danger," the spokesman said. "The protection of our soldiers in northern Iraq is already at the highest level."
ISIL has previously been accused of using chlorine against Kurdish forces in Iraq.
In March, the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq said it had evidence that the Takfiri group used chlorine in a car bomb attack on January 23.
Last month, the Conflict Armament Research group and Sahan Research group said ISIL had also targeted peshmerga with a projectile filled with an unknown chemical agent on June 21 or 22.
The chemical used had characteristics and clinical effects "consistent with a chlorine chemical agent," the groups said.
The organizations said they had also documented two such attacks against Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 28.
It said that upon impact, the projectiles had released a yellow gas "with a strong smell of rotten onions". There were no deaths but troops exposed to it had experienced burning of the throat, eyes and nose, severe headaches, muscle pain, impaired concentration and mobility, and vomiting.
AFP
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ISIS suspected of chemical arms attack on Kurds in Iraq...
ReplyDeleteMilitants from Islamic State (IS) are suspected of using chemical weapons in an attack against Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, officials say.
German officials said Kurdish troops suffered breathing difficulties after an attack near the city of Irbil earlier this month.
They did not say what may have been used. US officials told local media they believed it was mustard agent.
IS has previously been accused of using chlorine gas against Kurdish fighters.
US officials quoted in the Wall Street Journal said IS could have obtained the mustard agent in neighbouring Syria.
The Syrian government has previously said that all its stockpiles of such weapons have been destroyed.
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein also used weapons such as mustard agent against the Kurds and against Iran.
A US defence official told the BBC that it was aware of the reports and was looking into them, adding: "It is plausible."
Inquiry launched
Mustard agent, or sulphur mustard - more commonly referred to as mustard gas - causes blistering of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.
The German defence ministry, which is helping to train Kurdish forces, said that US and Iraqi experts were on their way to the area "to find out what happened".
A ministry statement said that about 60 Kurdish fighters had suffered breathing problems as a result of the attack.
"We have indications that there was an attack with chemical weapons," a ministry spokesman told AFP news agency.
Kurdish security officials said the IS attack happened near the town of Makhmour, south-west of Irbil.
Earlier this year, the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq said it had evidence that IS had used chlorine in a car bomb attack.
BBC