Report: Germany has evidence ISIS used mustard gas in Iraq

The chief of Germany's foreign intelligence agency BND told a newspaper that the agency has "information that [Islamic State] used mustard gas in northern Iraq," with the gas either coming from stockpiles produced during Saddam Hussein's era or made by ISIS at the University of Mosul.

The daily paper Bild quoted BND head Gerhard Schindler in its report, and said the agency collected blood samples from Kurds injured during fighting with ISIS militants, The Associated Press reports. U.S. Defense Department spokeswoman Cmdr. Elissa Smith would not comment on intelligence or operational matters, but did say that "any use by any party... of a chemical weapon of any kind is an abhorrent act. Given the alleged behavior of [ISIS] and other such groups in the region, any such flagrant disregard for international standards and norms is reprehensible."

In August, activists said ISIS used an unknown poisonous gas in the northern Syrian town of Marea, and Doctors Without Borders reported that it treated four people who appeared to have been exposed to chemical agents and were suffering from respiratory trouble, inflamed skin, and red eyes.

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