Islamic State Producing Chemical Weapons On Its Own?

Islamic State (IS) group may be producing chemical weapons on their own in Syria and Iraq, the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.

"Although they could not attribute this to Daesh (IS)... there are strong suspicions that they may have used it (chemical weapons)," OPCW head Ahmed Uzumcu was quoted as saying on the sidelines of a three-day conference at the OPCW's Hague-based headquarters by AFP.

“The fact-finding teams have found evidence of the use of Sulphur mustard in attacks in the two war-torn countries. The suspicions are that they may have produced it themselves, which is extremely worrying," Uzumcu said.

"It proves that they have the technology, know-how and also access to the materials which might be used for the production of chemical weapons," Uzumcu said.

Chemical weapons had reportedly been previously deployed by rebels groups in Syria’s Aleppo. In early March, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) stated that the Ahrar ash-Sham Islamist group shelled the Sheikh Maqsood neighbourhood using white or yellow phosphorus munitions, Sputnik reported Friday.

The process of chemical weapons disarmament in Syria cannot be completed because of the country’s compromised security, UN Under Secretary-General and Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo was quoted by Sputnik as saying.

"We have a number of instances where IS has used chemical munitions on the battlefield," John Brennan, the CIA Director told CBS News in an interview reported on Feb 11 this year.

"There are reports that ISIL has access to chemical precursors and munitions that they can use," Brennan said.

Previously, the Daesh Takfiri group had been accused of using mustard gas against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq during clashes in August, 2015.