http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2175873-exclusive-isis-mustard-gas-stockpile-captured-near-mosul-photos/
Iraqi troops have captured a cache of chemical weapons that formerly
belonged to the ISIS terrorist group in Qayyarah, Iraq, just east of the
terrorist organization’s stronghold in Mosul.
Photographs taken in mid-October of the weapons along with chemical
readings from the stockpile of weapons were provided to Epoch Times by
Ed Alexander, chief intelligence officer at BLACKOPS Cyber, a private
intelligence company, who in turn received them from his ground team.
Sources from on the ground claimed the weapons were used for mustard
gas, and readings showed residue of the chemical in the area. The
BLACKOPS Cyber ground team was guarding the weapons until coalition
forces could secure them.
The finding is near the same place where ISIS allegedly fired artillery
shells filled with mustard gas at U.S. troops on Sept. 24. Joint Chiefs
Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford initially said the shells contained
“sulfur-mustard blister agent,” according to Military.com, although the military was still investigating.
The stockpile also adds credibility to growing concerns
that ISIS is planning to use chemical weapons against U.S. and Iraqi
forces as they push ahead to retake Mosul in the coming weeks—and that
this could also harm civilians in the area.
Alexander noted that Iraqi forces asked coalition forces to help
recover the weapons and contain them, and that the site contained 36
rockets. He said, “ISIS lost ground on their territory, and it was on
that territory that those weapons were discovered.”
The images and information appear credible, according to two experts.
According to Drew Berquist, founder of OpsLens and a former
intelligence contractor who recently returned from deployment in Iraq,
ISIS has several factories for making homemade rockets throughout Raqqa,
Syria; and in Mosul. He said, “That’s what these look like.”
He said the picture of the rockets is telling, “because they do that
all over the region,” and that it’s likely ISIS has stepped up its
production for the coming fight for Mosul because “they view this as an
apocalyptic battle.”
Berquist noted that the rockets themselves can be fitted with
different types of weapons, including chemical and explosive charges,
and said ISIS has used chemical weapons. He said, “They’ve got them, and
they’ll try to use them in the days and weeks ahead in Mosul.”
“We know on the ground, and the commanders know on the ground, they
have a lot of this stuff down there; and it has the potential to get
pretty nasty, not just for the Iraqis and the Kurds, but also for us,”
he said.
According to Dr. Robert J. Bunker, adjunct faculty at Claremont
Graduate University, who has studied chemical warfare, the images show
positive readings of chemical weapons.
Bunker wrote in an email that the device held by a man in a chemical
warfare suit in one of the photos is an LCD 3.2E made by Smiths
Detection, which is used by soldiers, first responders, and police. The
“H” on the display shows readings for blister agents, such as mustard
gas, and the image shows a midrange positive reading for a blister
agent.
Bunker noted that the individual in the photo is breaking protocol
“by wearing surgical gloves in such a potentially contaminated
environment.” He also said the individual is wearing a Level C PPE
(personal protective equipment) suit, which offers only basic
respiration and absorption protection, and “if he were more
sophisticated, he would tape the suit around the gloves and the boots
for a better seal.”
This aligns with other information. Bunker said the United States
didn’t train Iraqi forces on how to handle chemical weapons. Alexander
said the Iraqi forces asked for help to recover the weapons because they
are unsure of how to handle them.
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