ISIS used 'poisonous substances' in shelling of Iraq village – Kurdish officials

"There were poisonous substances in these shells. We don't know what," Kirkuk province governor Najmuddin Kareem told reporters, referring to a Tuesday attack on the village of Taza.

More than 40 people suffered from partial chocking and skin irritation after mortar shells and Katyusha rockets filled with the "poisonous substances" exploded in the mainly Shia Turkmen village, which is located south of the oil city of Kirkuk, in a region under Kurdish control.

None of the 40 people died as a result of the attack, though five remain in hospital, according to health officials. 

A total of 24 shells and rockets were fired into the village from IS positions in the nearby Bashir area, Kurdish peshmerga forces commander Wasta Rasul said. 

It comes just one day after the Kurdish militia group YPG stated that Islamist opposition fighters used yellow phosphorous in a chemical attack on the Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, US aircraft have begun targeting IS' chemical weapons sites near Mosul, Iraq. It comes after an initial round of airstrikes aimed at diminishing the group's ability to use mustard agent, according to CNN.

It is unclear whether the strikes conducted over the past several days have been successful. The strikes were aided by an IS detainee who provided vital information to the US military, according to the news network.  

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