A preliminary investigation found ISIS used traces of chemical weapons in an Aug. 11 attack on Peshmerga forces, according to an official with Operation Inherent Resolve. Traces of sulfur mustard gas were found on fragments of mortars that were used in the attack and later handed over to US officials by Kurdish troops, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea, the Chief of Staff for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, in an Aug. 21 Pentagon briefing. The tests are not conclusive, and it will take weeks for US investigators to definitively state that mustard gas was used in the attack, which took place near Makmur, Iraq. While the coalition already has enough reasons to fight ISIS, the use of chemical weapons shows how? “abhorrent” the group is in in tactics, Killea said.
Air Force Chief of Staff nominee Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said he'll give special attention to coordinating with the Navy on buys of new weapons.
