Kerry: US investigating ISIS use of chlorine against Iraqi forces

WASHINGTON — The United States is looking into reports that Islamic State fighters used chlorine gas against Iraqi security forces, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.

Kerry, speaking to reporters after meeting his South Korean counterpart, said he was unable to confirm media reports that chlorine gas was used against Iraqi police officers last month.

“These allegations are extremely serious and we are seeking additional information in order to be able to determine whether or not we can confirm it,” Kerry said.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that 11 Iraqi police officers were rushed to a hospital north of Baghdad last month with symptoms that are consistent with chlorine poisoning.

The newspaper said Iraqi forces have reported two other crude chlorine gas attacks in Iraq since Islamic State militants took over large areas of the country.

“The use of any chemical weapons … is against international law and these recent allegations underscore the importance of the work we are currently engaged in,” Kerry said, adding that the possible chlorine gas attack would not sway U.S. strategy in battling the Islamic State.

“Obviously it can affect tactical decisions within that strategy, but our fundamental strategy remains absolutely clear,” he added.

A U.S.-led coalition has repeatedly bombed the Sunni jihadist group’s positions in Iraq since August, after Islamic State fighters grabbed large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The risk that chemicals could fall into the hands of hardline militants has grown with the spread of Islamic State Forces in both Iraq and Syria.

The United States and other Western powers have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of using chemical weapons against areas held by rebels in Syria’s civil war.

In a deal worked out between the United States and Russia, Damascus agreed last year to eliminate its entire chemical arsenal after a sarin attack in August 2013 killed hundreds of people in Ghouta on the outskirts of the capital.

The elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons has been overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which has since also investigated chlorine gas attacks in Syria.