OPCW Confirms Joint Probe With Iraq on Chemical Weapon Use by ISIL

A team of specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will assist the government of Iraq in investigation of the allegations of ISIL usage of chemical weapons, according to OPCW spokesman Malik Ellahi.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A team of specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will work with counterparts in Iraq in the near future regarding the reported use of chemical weapons by the Islamic State (ISIL) extremist group, OPCW spokesman Malik Ellahi told Sputnik on Thursday.

"OPCW will be assisting the government of Iraq, and will be working with them on the allegations of ISIL usage of chemical weapons… Iraq invited OPCW to join in this inquiry earlier this month. The team is going to be working with the Iraqis very soon actually," Ellahi said.

On October 20, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources, that OPCW inspectors would travel to Iraq to determine whether ISIL used chemical weapons against the Kurdish fighters in the country.

Ellahi added that the OPCW fact-finding mission was looking for evidence of the use of toxic chemicals in Syria, including chlorine, and is about to present a comprehensive report. The report will be submitted to OPCW member states and the UN Security Council, but will not be immediately made public.

Accusations of ISIL using chemical weapons in Iraq surfaced as early as the summer of 2014.

Germany’s federal intelligence agency BND collected blood samples last month from Kurds wounded during clashes with ISIL in northern Iraq, that suggested the terrorist group used mustard gas. US experts came to a similar conclusion earlier in the year.