Third chemical weapons attack in Sinjar

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Islamic State (IS) extremists targeted Peshmerga with poisoned shells, yet their morale remains high in defending Kurdistan Region, asserted a Peshmerga commander on Sunday.

Sarbast Lazgin, a representative to the Kurdistan Region's President Masoud Barzani and Peshmerga Commander in Sinjar (Shingal) city, told K24 that IS extremists attacked civilians in Shingal as well as Peshmerga front lines surrounding the city with mortar shells consisting of chemical substances.

“These shell casings are full of poisoned gas...made by Da’esh,” Lazgin said, using the pejorative term for IS.

He mentioned that Peshmerga's morale remains high, “Da’esh has reached the conclusion that the day has passed to control even an inch of Kurdistan [Region].”

Additionally, Yezidi (Ezidi) Peshmerga Commander in Shingal, Qassim Shesho told K24, “If [President] Barzani commanded us during Shingal liberation on Nov. 13, 2015, we would have chased Da’esh until Tal Afar [a Turkmen-populated city near Mosul].”

Shesho emphasized that Peshmerga will soon clear the entire area around Shingal from IS.

Recently, K24 released an exclusive video regarding the second IS chemical attack on Peshmerga. Extremists targeted the city with nearly 20 chemical-laden rockets on Thursday and nearly 10 on Friday, leaving over 100 civilians and Peshmerga fighters injured.

"We are not sure if it is chlorine or mustard. Some of it appears to be mustard gas. But we don’t have a testing kit. We need someone to come here and test. [Thursday's] rockets were all the same [that included] a black chemical substance,” David Eubank, a foreign volunteer medic from the Free Burma Rangers told K24 on Friday.

Reporting by Ni'mat Maronisi and Mewan Dolamari

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Benjamin Kweskin