IS using chemical weapons against troops in Iraq, say Kurdish authorities

Iraqi Kurdish authorities have said that Islamic State (IS) militants are using chemical weapons against their troops.

According to Fox News, the Kurdish Regional Security Council released a statement saying that it has evidence that shows that the IS fighters used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against Kurdish military forces known as peshmerga fighters.

The alleged chemical attack took place on a road between Mosul, and the Syrian border, as forces fought to seize a vital supply line used by the Sunni militants, said the Council. Kurdish fighters later found "around 20 gas canisters" that had been loaded onto the truck involved in the attack, according to the Council.

However, the claims by the Iraqi authorities are yet to be verified. The battlefield tactics being used by IS are banned under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.