America wants to send chemical warfare gear to Iraqis and Kurds fighting ISIS

A $1.6 billion request sent to Congress by the Pentagon last week includes a request to send gas masks and suits designed to protect against chemical weapons to anti-ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.

The size and viability of ISIS's chemical weapons stash is unclear. Though the militants took control of a facility stocked with leftovers of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons program, to actually make use of the aging weapons could be as dangerous for ISIS as it is for their opponents.

That issue could be negated should ISIS manage to get their hands on the incoming protective gear, a not unlikely possibility given the terrorist group's history of securing American equipment intended for their enemies.

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