Twelve people are being treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in Mosul, the United Nations has said, raising fears of the first chemical attack in the besieged city. The patients were said to have been exposed to the chemical agents in the eastern side of Mosul, where Islamic State militants have been overcome by an offensive by US-backed Iraqi forces. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that five children and two women were receiving treatment for exposure to chemical agents. The ICRC statement did not say which side used the chemical agents that caused blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. We gave the children Valium so they wouldn’t cry and [the IS fighters] wouldn’t catch us,” she said.

Source: The Guardian March 04, 2017 09:45 UTC