World must identify supplier of chemical arms to ISIL

The international community should work to identify the supplier of chemical weapons to the ISIL Takfiri militants, says a political commentator.

Saeed Shahabi, a political commentator from London, told Press TV in an interview that it is “up to the international community to find out who has been supplying them (ISIL) with lethal arms and chemical weapons.”

“This is problematic,” he stated, adding that the issue of ISIL using chemical weapons is a very serious development that must be tackled at the level of the United Nations Security Council.

Those responsible for supplying ISIL with these lethal weapons must be held accountable, Shahabi said.

Iraqi officials say the ISIL Takfiri militants carried out a chemical attack against security forces and Shia volunteer fighters north of the capital, Baghdad, last month.

They said some 40 Iraqi soldiers and Shia fighters were made ill and showed symptoms of chlorine poisoning such as coughing and vomiting. They were all treated in hospital and quickly recovered.

In September, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons stated that chlorine gas was being used in parts of Syria that are under the control of ISIL.

Recent photos of Kurdish fighters killed in battle against the ISIL Takfiri militants in the Syrian border town of Kobani apparently suggest that the terrorists have used chemical weapons against the Kurds.

The United States started its aerial campaign against ISIL in Iraq in early August. Washington and its Arab allies also began a similar move in Syria late September. Commentators have questioned the effectiveness of the airstrikes.

Censuring the “messy” US-led coalition against ISIL, Shahabi said the West is not really serious about confronting the Takfiri group.