ISIL Weapons Of Mass Destruction - Chemical -  Biological - 11/23/2014

Stories have emerged from Kobani, Syria that ISIL may have utilized old stockpiles of chemical weapons discovered  in Syria and even in Iraq. Some patients have presented for medical care with what appear to be lesions and blisters caused by skin contact with crude mustard gas. The evidence is inconclusive but highly suspicious.

It is likely that ISIL found chemical weapons In Iraq at the al-Muthanna compound located Northwest of Baghdad, Iraq where mustard gas and some nerve agents waiting to be destroyed have been stockpiled and may well be in an unmaintained and decaying state. The agents would be deployable but the state of their containment would be questionable and likely the cannisters or loaded shells would be somewhat unsafe for handling and transport.

The probability of ISIL leaders ordering unskilled troops to utilize old weaponized chemical agents for tactical use is low because it is more likely that the attackers would gas themselves. Much of the combat zones are urban therefore fratricide is a huge issue for weapons of mass destruction. Nevertheless, ISIL has acccess to former Ba'athist regime experts plus Saddam's Husseins regular force leaders, chemists and researchers who have substantial skill and knowledge of Chem/Bio WMS handling and deployment.

It is ISIL style to take and hold territory whereas many chemical weapons have a strong area-denial component to their use. It is no less true that the ruthless nature of ISIL must be taken into account and no reasonable analysis can exclude from the threat scenario, introduction of substantial chem/bio attacks against large targets in Iraq and elsewhere. ISIL has significant ambitions in this regard and may take over Al Quaeda's quest and resouces for delivery systems. It can sefely be assumed that ISIL now has substantial quantitities of at least Mustard Gas and Sarin.

Coming back to the Kurdish reports of patients presenting with injuries consistent with chemical attacks, there are plenty of stockpiles of mustard gas in Syria but most chemical weapons are controlled by the Syrian military.

Crude mustard gas is a candidate for artillary shells and has an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic or horseradish. Contact in any measure is dangerous and highly lethal causing slow and painful death. There is an immediately debilitating effect on defending and attacking troops who come into contact with this chemical warfar agent. Breathing the agent causes death or serious surgical implications.

Background Research: Chem/Bio Weapons of Mass Destruction 

• Threat Scenario, 
  
• Detection, 
  
• Super Diseases, 
  
• BZ Gas,
• Anthrax, 
  
• Botulism, 
  
• Ebola, 
  
• Glanders, 
  
• Hantavirus, 
  
• Pneumonic
  
• Plague, 
  
• Ricin, 
  
• Small Pox, 
  
• Tularemia,  
  
• Typhoid, 
  
• VX Gas,
  
• Tabun-Sarin-Soman 
  
• Chem/Bio/Nuclear Terrorism