Islamic State Deploys Chemical Weapons, Truck Bombs, as Fighting Continues

The Islamic State reportedly used a mustard agent against Kurdish force in Erbil, Iraq August 14, 2015. In 2013, the Syrian government admitted to having large amounts of chemical weapons, and claimed it would renounce its arsenal following the U.S. ultimatum. Syrian government forces have reportedly used chemical weapons against the rebel forces in the continuing civil war.

The mustard agent is a potential upgrade in the Islamic State’s battlefield capabilities that are already giving the U.S. trained forces problems. Reports indicate that around 60 Peshmerga fighters that help protect the Kurdish areas in northern Iraq, suffered injuries to their throats consistent with a chemical weapons attack.

This attack raises questions about the ability of the U.S. allies on the ground to fight the Islamic State. Kurdish, Iraqi, and U.S.-supported Syria rebels say they are not receiving enough U.S. aid to combat the Islamic State’s conventional weapons capabilities.
If the Islamic State gains access to more unconventional weapon that only makes matters worse. The U.S. allied forces would need specialized equipment and training to help protect them against unconventional weapon attacks. In the Syrian case this is a potential problem, since most Syrian rebels fight alongside the Al-Qaeda-linked al Nusra Front.

In addition, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility on August, 13, 2015 for a truck bomb explosion killing sixty people, at the Jamila market, in Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad, the deadliest attack in Baghdad since 2103.

Despite the U.S. continued bombing campaign and the presence of 3,000 American advisor troops for training Iraqi forces. Iraq struggles to regain territory seized by the Islamic State. General Ray Odierno, the U.S. Army chief of staff, described the battle against the Islamic State as a “kind of stalemate” in a Pentagon news conference.

Thus far, Iranian-supported Shiite militia forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been the main contributors to fighting the Islamic State. The Islamic State is continuing to spread in the region despite U.S. bombing raids, which shows the importance of a reliable force on the ground to oppose Islamic State.

Unfortunately the U.S. has remained opposed to directly arming the Kurds, described as the most effective fighting force against IS, while continuing to support Iraqi troops and Syrian rebels, which have proven unreliable or unsuccessful time and time again.

Until the U.S. is prepared to adopt a full spectrum approach to defeating the Islamic State, the situation will continue to worsen.