Friday, January 30, 2015

US says Islamic State militant ‘chemical weapon expert’ Abu Malik killed in Iraq

US military officials say a mid-level Islamic State militant who specialized in chemical weapons was killed in an US airstrike near Mosul in Iraq last week.

US Central Command says Abu Malik was killed on January 24. The command says Malik worked at Saddam Hussein’s Muthana chemical weapons production facility before joining al-Qaida in Iraq in 2005.

Central Command says Malik joined the Islamic State militants, bringing his chemical weapons expertise to the group. Officials say his death could “temporarily degrade” the group’s ability to produce and use chemical weapons.

Coalition airstrikes have pounded the Mosul area over the past week.

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