CONFIRMED - Islamic State is deploying chemical weapons in combat

Terrorists are using easily manufactured mustard agent.

The Islamic State appears to be manufacturing and using chemical weapons. The conclusion comes after tests have confirmed anecdotal evidence that the terrorist army has been deploying mustard agents on at least four separate occasions.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An unnamed US official has informed the BBC that the government knows of four specific instances where the Islamic State has deployed mustard agents in combat. The mustard is being used in powder form. The agent can be lethal, but is not always so. It is extremely painful and works on contact with the skin. It is cheap and easy to produce and is likely being fired in mortar rounds to disrupt enemy positions.

The mustard agent has been used in four separate attacks including strikes against Kurdish forces and well as separate attacks in Iraq and Syria. It is very likely the agent has been used on many more occasions. Chemical testing has confirmed the agent's use.

The mustard agent can be deployed as a liquid, a gas, or as a powder. The Islamic State is thought to be using it as a powder, which is an easy way to handle and use the chemical. The powder is fired from a mortar and explodes, creating an aerosol cloud which slowly dissipates and coats the ground. The powder blisters the skin on contact. If it is inhaled, it can damage mucous membranes and the lungs and can cause death.

Exposure is very painful and there is no antidote or treatment. Victims must suffer until they recover or die. The gas is said to produce an odor like garlic or onion, but it can also be odorless. It tends to be yellow to brown in color.

While it is possible the IS may have found an old stockpile in Iraq or Syria, this is thought to be unlikely. Both nation's stockpiles are assumed destroyed. Instead, the Islamic State is thought to be manufacturing the chemicals itself. A special cell of trained chemists are likely producing the crude, but dangerous powder.

The greater concern is that if the Islamic State has chemical weapons, they could use them in terror attacks around the globe.

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