US to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons by IS militants in Iraq

The United States would inspect whether the Islamic State (IS) militant group used chemical weapons in Iraq, said US secretary of State John Kerry.

According to the BBC, Kerry said that he was considering serious allegations against IS fighters that they attacked Iraqi police with chlorine gas last month.

He said that the claims were not confirmed and that the use of any chemical weapons was against international law.

However, an Iraqi defense minister yesterday confirmed the chemical weapons' attacks.

The presence of a large former Iraqi chemical weapon production plant in the territory seized by the IS has raised concerns although officials have said that the 2,500 degraded rockets filled with nerve agents that remain there are unlikely to be fit for use.

Weapons inspectors had sealed them off with concrete in a bunker more than 20 years ago, said reports.