Gas Attack??

[bacpacker]

I caught a blurb on Fox when I got in from work tonight. Found these two articles and thought it worthy of some discussion.
Apparently a US base near Mosul detected some traces of a Mustard Type gas. But from the Fox article it doesn't sound like they are sure if was an attack or not. I did see that there was a Pharma company nearby that could have been used as a chemical prep site. Or could it have been us supplying ISIS so we could blame it on Assad?


http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09...cal-agent.html

ISIS fighters are believed to have attacked U.S. and Iraqi forces with a chemical weapon Tuesday evening, a U.S. official told Fox News.

The U.S base outside Qayyarah, 25 miles south of Mosul, was struck by a rocket and traces of a "mustard agent" were believed to be present, the official said. The attack was first reported by CNN.

A Pentagon official told reporters that a “tar-like black oily substance” was found on the shell, which landed within the base only hundreds of yards from U.S. forces. An initial test for the agent was positive, but “could be false," the official said. The second test was negative, possibly because the shell had been exposed to the elements.

No U.S. troops were injured in the attack and there were “no signs of exposure” shown by any U.S. troops, including the two soldiers who inspected the shell. Two to four soldiers who were near the shell received full decontamination treatment.


Then there is this:

http://popularmilitary.com/u-s-troop...e-mustard-gas/

U.S. military forces have been reportedly attacked by ISIS with chemical weapons at Qayarrah air base.

According to an initial report from CNN’s Barbara Star, the troops were targeted with indirect fire that possibly contained mustard gas.

The shell was categorized by officials as either a rocket or artillery shell and initial testing for chemical agents was inconclusive but suggested mustard gas.

“No US troops were hurt or have displayed symptoms of exposure to mustard agent,” according to CNN.

The troops who were involved in the incident have not shown any symptoms of exposure but went through decontamination showers as a precaution.

Last week, more than 50 targets were destroyed at a former pharmaceuticals factory near Mosul by coalition airstrikes.

The factory had been converted for production of “chlorine or mustard gas — we don’t know for sure at this point,” Lieutenant-General Jeffrey Harrigian, the commander of US air forces in the region, said last week.

Officials expected that ISIS might try and use chemical weapons against U.S. and Iraqi forces during their push to take back Mosul.

U.S. officials stated they will continue to hit suspected mustard agent, which is relatively easy to produce, production sites wherever they find them.

Qayarrah air base was retaken from ISIS in July and was considered a necessary stronghold for the operation to retake Mosul from ISIS. The base is believed to have over 30 hardened aircraft shelters.