The Pentagon has now confirmed that ISIS launched a chemical attack on United States military personnel in Iraq. General Joseph Dunsford, Joint Chiefs Chairman, called it not particularly effective but still disconcerting.
The shell did not explode and no one was harmed in the attack.
US officials are still testing "a black, oily substance," residue found on the rocket, Israel World News reported earlier today.
An initial test of the suspicious substance showed it contained residue of mustard agent, but a second test was negative.
Mustard agent, in sufficient quantities and concentration, can maim or kill by damaging skin, eyes and airways.
In an interview with Fox New, Rep. King - who is Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence -was asked what he thought of these recent developments.
"Well it's very troubling," King stated, "Fortunately it was delivered in a powdery fog, which meant that it was not anywhere near as lethal as it could have been if it been delivered as a gas."
Rep. King then doubled down on how concerning this was even though "no one was injured." As our troops and the Iraqi troops get closer to Mosul, this could become a new hazard as ISIS uses these new weapons to defend the city. According to Rep King, it "take things to a new level."
During the interview, Rep. King wasted no time in blaming President Obama for the fact that ISIS now has access to these types of weapons. Similarly to how GOP leaders blamed Obama in 2014 for his inaction over ISIS threats in Syria. "This is where President Obama's failure three years ago to enforce the red line is why chemical weapons are still left around that country which could be used against our troops and Iraqi troops," King stated.
These chemical and biological weapons were probably taken from Assad's stockpiles and that is why they are still available, instead of being gotten rid of, suggested King.
It totally changes the way U.S. troops will handle ISIS in the future because now they will have to carry new biological weapons equipment which is heavier and will likely wear them down easier.
Earlier this month, American warplanes eliminated a "significant chemical threat" by bombing a complex of buildings near Mosul that ISIS had converted from pharmaceutical manufacturing to chemical weapons production.
