Kurds say IS attacked them with chemical weapons

Kurdish authorities in Iraq said on Friday they believe their Peshmerga forces have been attacked with chemical weapons, possibly chlorine gas, by Islamic State (IS) militants. The Kurdistan Region's Security Council said it was investigating multiple ­attacks by IS insurgents against ­Peshmerga positions, including in Makhmour, southwest of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, earlier in the week. It was the third report of suspected chemical weapons use on the Iraqi battlefield this year. "Initial reporting indicates chemical agents were fired in the form of projectiles, possibly mortar rounds," the council said. ­"Several Peshmerga officers were treated for dizziness, vomiting and general weakness, while some are receiving treatment for burns." Chlorine's use as a weapon is prohibited under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. If inhaled, chlorine gas turns to hydrochloric acid and can kill by inflaming victims' lungs.