Director of National Intelligence James Clapper listens while appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to America and its allies on Feb. 9, 2016.(Photo: Molly Riley, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The Islamic State may be most notorious for decapitating people, but the terror group has also used internationally banned chemical weapons.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, had plans to use mustard gas against U.S. allies, a a senior Defense Department official<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said Wednesday.
USA TODAY
ISIL captive says group planned to use mustard gas against U.S.allies
James Clapper, director of national intelligence, said intelligence agencies are investigating “numerous allegations of ISIL’s use of chemicals in attacks in Iraq and Syria, suggesting that attacks might be widespread.”
Mustard gas is a “blister agent” that can cause severe burns on skin and on lungs when the gas is breathed in.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Chlorine gas is a choking agent that can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and in concentrated doses can kill.
The chemicals were used on a large scale during World War I, provoking international horror at the nature of the injuries and leading to an international ban on their use in war that went into effect in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>1928.
The chemicals are not difficult to make and can be delivered by artillery shells or using a sprayer.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, Netherlands, confirmed allegations that the Islamic State used chlorine gas regularly in Syrian villages in 2014.
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