Iraq: Daesh launches chlorine gas attacks in western Mosul

A member of the Iraqi forces makes his way through a hole in the wall in a house in the old city of Mosul on Saturday during an offensive to recapture the city fromDaesh militants. (AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE)

A member of the Iraqi forces fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) toward Daesh militants in the old city of Mosul on Saturday during an offensive to recapture the city. (AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE)

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi military officer says Daesh militants have launched a gas attack in a newly-liberated area in western Mosul.
The officer with the anti-terrorism forces said Saturday that the attack occurred the night before in the Al-Abar neighborhood, when Daesh fired a rocked loaded with chlorine. He said seven soldiers suffered breathing problems and were treated in a nearby field clinic.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release information.
US-backed Iraqi forces are currently battling Daesh militants in the more densely-populated western half of Mosul. Iraqi officials say more than half of western Mosul has been retaken. The extremists were driven out of the eastern half of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in January.