{"id":4601,"date":"2016-10-27T14:13:57","date_gmt":"2016-10-27T14:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5917.temp.domains\/~iriacom\/\/news\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2016-10-27T14:13:57","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T14:13:57","slug":"mosul-offensive-isis-sets-sulfur-plant-ablaze-in-iraq-choking-air-with-toxic-gas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/mosul-offensive-isis-sets-sulfur-plant-ablaze-in-iraq-choking-air-with-toxic-gas\/","title":{"rendered":"Mosul offensive: ISIS sets sulfur plant ablaze in Iraq, choking air with toxic gas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 1,000 people have been treated for breathing problems linked to toxic gases from a sulfur plant set ablaze by ISIS militants<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Iraqi town of Qayyarah, in south Mosul, black and gray clouds cover the sky and the air is painful to breathe as retreating ISIS fighters have set fire to oil wells as well as a sulfur plant in the area which has wrapped the area in toxic black and white smoke.<\/p>\n

At least two people have been killed and hundreds of others wounded, reported AFP<\/a><\/span>\u00a0citing Iraqi General Qusay Hamid Kadhem.<\/p>\n

As many as 1,000 people were hospitalized after inhaling the toxic gas from burning sulfur,\u00a0<\/a>Reuters\u00a0reported<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Most patients have been given oxygen and told to stay away from areas with high sulfur concentration, according to medical aide<\/a><\/span> Saddam Ahmad, who was wearing a surgical. “We\u2019ve had so many patients since yesterday that we\u2019re almost out of oxygen,” Ahmad said.<\/p>\n

The sulfur cloud spread over an area of about 5 sq km, has forced about 200 families to evacuate, according to an Iraqi army official.<\/p>\n

Many Iraqi soldiers and U.S. troops nearby Qayyarah West airfield\u00a0were seen wearing gas mask.<\/p>\n

\"Iraqi<\/a>

<\/em> Iraqi soldiers wear gas masks after ISIS attacked a chemical factory releasing poisonous sulphur into the atmosphere<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Operation Inherent Resolve, the official name of the U.S-led anti-Islamic State coalition, said in a statement on Saturday it had provided more than 24,000 protective chemical masks to the Iraqi security forces and the allied Kurdish Peshmerga fighters during training for the Mosul offensive.<\/p>\n

The Qayyara West airfield is the main U.S. hub to support Iraqi-led operations to retake Mosul. Reports suggest<\/a><\/span> that there are about 5,000 U.S. troops in Iraq but the U.S. military has not disclosed the number of personnel at the airfield.<\/p>\n

Days after a U.S.-backed offensive to liberate Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS began on October 17, the jihadists torched at least part of the al-Mishraq chemical factory<\/a><\/span>, which is located about 18 miles southeast of the city. The fire has reportedly<\/a><\/span> been extinguished now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe toxic cloud, which includes deadly sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, combined with residue from burning oil wells, is a potentially fatal cocktail for those caught in the open or without gas masks,\u201d according to the Telegraph<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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VIDEO: @CNN<\/a> report on sulfur deposits bombed by #ISIS<\/a> near #Mosul<\/a>, now leaking poisonous gas into the atmosphere.pic.twitter.com\/jUdXd5sUo0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gissur Simonarson (@GissiSim) October 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cWhen we go to sleep we\u2019re clean, but when we wake up our faces are dark. The color of everything in our house has changed,\u201d says Shaker Ibrahim Khalifa, 42, a butcher from Qayyarah.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy child has a problem in his lungs,\u201d says another man named Ahmed Najm Abdullah, a member of the Hashd al-Watani, a localized, predominantly Sunni armed force allied with the military in the fight against ISIS. \u201cThe problem in his lungs began when the sulfur started burning,\u201d he says. His village was recently retaken from ISIS. \u201cThe situation is still unstable, so I can\u2019t get treatment for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSulphur dioxide gas is toxic when inhaled or when the skin or eyes are open,\u201d points out\u00a0Daily Mail<\/a><\/span>. \u201cIt can lead to vomiting and stomach pain, while skin contact can cause stinging pains and, in severe cases, blindness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The burning chemical plant fueled a toxic pall that formed south of Mosul, highlighting ISIS\u2019s ability to render Iraqi territory unlivable even as its self-proclaimed caliphate is under attack.<\/p>\n

Iraqi forces and their allies have launched a major offensive<\/a><\/span> this week to retake Mosul, the country\u2019s second-largest city, from the Islamic State group. More than 4,000 people have fled the area, according to United Nations.<\/p>\n

New satellite images<\/a><\/span> released by NASA shows toxic cloud of gas spreading in the lower region of Iraq.<\/p>\n

\"Sulfur<\/a>

Sulfur Dioxide levels in Iraq following sulfur mine fire set by ISIS . Photo: NASA Earth<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Pope Francis denounces \u2018brutal acts of violence\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n

Addressing some 50,000 faithful in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said hee was \u201cpained by the murder in cold blood of numerous sons of this beloved land, among them many children.\u201d<\/p>\n

He expressed his closeness to the people of Iraq \u201cin these dramatic hours,\u201d saying \u201cour souls are shaken by the brutal acts of violence that are being committed for too long against innocent citizens, whether Muslims or Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n

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#ISIS<\/a> blew up a mountain of sulfur as a parting gift to #Mosul<\/a>. Amazing imagery from @arwaCNN<\/a> and her team. WATCH: https:\/\/t.co\/v7jKxkiDIL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2HJofMNKWf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joel Williams (@cnnjoel) October 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n