Iraqi PM Vows Retaliation after Daesh Chemical Attack
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed on Saturday to retaliate against the Daesh terrorist group after it launched a chemical attack on a town near Kirkuk.
The suspected mustard gas attack on Taza that left a three-year-old girl dead "will not go unpunished", the premier said in a statement.
A large number of rockets were fired on Taza on Wednesday from the nearby village of Bashir, which is held by the terrorists, AFP reported.
Intelligence experts are still analyzing samples, but local officials believe mustard agent was used in the attack.
Abadi promised that medical support would be provided to the town, where hundreds of people received care following the chemical attack.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral on Friday of Fatima Samir, the girl who died of wounds sustained during the attack. Some of the mourners carried placards demanding protection.
Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) has reportedly been trying to produce chemical weapons and is believed to have formed a special unit for chemical weapons research.
The Takfiri terrorists launched an offensive in Iraq in June 2014 and took control of swathes of the Iraqi territory.
Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.