By Jim Emerson, staff writer

In August of 2012, Barack Obama established a red line against Syria as a warning to not use chemical weapons against rebel forces, including ISIS. When a chemical attack outside Damascus killed more than 1,400 people there was a lot of finger pointing and saber rattling. Obama did nothing. A year later Syrian President Bashar al Assad voluntary turned over his chemical weapons for destruction. And now, three and a half years after Assad’s act, America’s top intelligence official confirmed that ISIS has been manufacturing and deploying chemical agents in Iraq and Syria. (1)

During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed the use of mustard gas by ISIS. The intelligence community has concluded that terrorist nations are “using chemicals as a means of warfare.” (2) It’s likely that Clapper was confirming information provided by military officials who reported that Islamic State militants used mustard gas in a mortar attack against Kurdish forces in Iraq last August. (3) After the attack the Kurds provided U.S. officials with shell fragments that tested positive for sulfur mustard or Mustard Gas, a blistering chemical agent. The agent and the equipment to make chemical weapons were probably captured after the fall of Mosul. The Intelligence community is tracking additional allegations concerning the use of chemical agents by the Islamic State.

The use of mustard gas by ISIS represents the first time a terrorist group has manufactured and deployed chemical agents since the Aum Shinrikyo cult’s Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995. The actual extent of ISIS chemical weapon’s capability hasn’t been reported. But as the group grows more desperate to hold onto captured territory it will be only a matter of time before it uses them against Iraqi and Iranian forces, as well Americans, NATO forces and Russians.

ISIS has an aggressive record in the manufacture of chemical weapons, having created a team to conduct research and experiments of making them more efficient. (4) Though there is no evidence as yet of large scale production or deployment, the Islamic State is known to be testing chemical weapons on the battle field in both artillery or mortar rounds. The world can’t ignore the possibility that ISIS terrorists will smuggle chemical agents in oil shipments through Turkey.

1. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/02/09/top-intel-official-confirms-isis-made-used-chemical-weapons.html
2. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-has-made-and-deployed-chemical-weapons-says-us-intelligence-official-a6864821.html
3. http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/08/21/isis-used-mustard-gas-makhmour-against-kurds/32116637/
4. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-aggressively-pursuing-development-of-chemical-weapons-say-iraqi-and-us-officials-a6742576.html