US strikes IS group chemical weapons sites
Latest update : 2016-03-10
The US-led coalition has carried out its first air strikes on the Islamic State (IS) group’s chemical weapons sites, the Pentagon said Thursday, acting on information from a captured senior jihadist described as the group's "emir" of chemical arms.
The successful multiple bombings came as a result of intelligence from Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said, confirming the capture of the IS group operative said to be a chemical weapons expert for the extremists.
His capture by US special forces in February appears to have provided a major boost in the fight against the IS group in Iraq and Syria, and Cook said it had yielded almost immediate results.
Al-Bakkar was transferred from US custody Thursday to Iraqi authorities after interrogation, according to Pentagon officials.
Cook said al-Bakkar was "ISIL's emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing", using an alternate acronym for the IS group.
"His capture removed a key ISIL leader from the battlefield, and provided the coalition with important information about ISIL's chemical weapons capabilities," he added.
"Through Dawud, the coalition learned details about ISIL's chemical weapon facilities and production, as well as the people involved. The information has resulted in multiple coalition air strikes that have disrupted and degraded ISIL's ability to produce chemical weapons and will continue to inform our operations in the future."
No comments:
Post a Comment