Report: IS chemical weapons capability degraded

BEIRUT – A London-based military analysis group says the siege of Mosul and targeted killings of experts in U.S.-led airstrikes have significantly degraded the Islamic State group’s ability to produce chemical weapons.

In a new report released Tuesday, IHS Markit says there has been a major reduction in IS’ use of chemical weapons outside the Iraqi city. It has recorded one alleged use of chemical weapons by the group in Syria this year, as opposed to 13 allegations in the previous six months.

All other recorded allegations of IS using chemical agents in 2017 have been in Iraq – all but one of them inside Mosul.

Columb Strack, senior Middle East analyst for IHS Markit, says this suggests IS has not established any further chemical weapons production sites outside Mosul.