MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Islamic State militants used mustard gas in a military clash with government troops in Iraq’s Mosul, Sky News Arabia said on Sunday, citing a Kurdish source in security agencies.
A ground operation to liberate Mosul from terrorists of Islamic State began on October 17. It involves the Iraqi troops, Kurdish units and the US-led coalition. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city with a population of 1.3 million, has been controlled by Islamic State (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) for over two years. According to the Iraqi military, from 5,000 to 6,000 militants are holding the city. On October 31, Iraqi’s forces began assaulting the city.