Senior ISIS figures targeted in separate attacks

The US has said that ISIS’ ‘war minister’ may have been killed in an air strike. Chechen Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili was targeted during a strike near the town of Shaddadi (Syria) on 4 March. If his demise can be confirmed, this marks one of the most high-profile ISIS deaths to date. The Pentagon’s press secretary commented: “His potential removal from the battlefield would negatively impact Isil’s ability to recruit foreign fighters – especially those from Chechnya and the Caucasus regions – and degrade Isil’s ability to coordinate attacks and defence of its strongholds like Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq.” Separately, following reports that US Special Forces had captured the head of an ISIS unit trying to develop chemical weapons, the US has now revealed that Sleiman Daud al-Afari was captured during a raid near the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar in February. He has allegedly told officials that ISIS has weaponised mustard gas.

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The head of an Isis unit attempting to develop chemical weapons has been captured by US Special Forces, it has been claimed.

The chemical weapons head was captured during a raid near the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar last month, two senior intelligence officials told the Associated Press.

US officials said last week an Isis leader had been captured, but did not identify him, saying only that he had been held for two or three weeks and was being questioned.

Two Iraqi officials, however, have identified the man as Sleiman Daud al-Afari, who worked for Saddam Hussenin’s now-dissolved Military Industrialisation Authority where he specialised in chemical and biological weapons.

The officials, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, said Afari is about 50 years old and heads Isis’ recently established branch for the research and development of chemical weapons.

According to The New York Times, the Isis leader – described by the military as a “significant” Isis operative - is currently being held in American custody at a temporary detention facility in Erbil, Iraq where he provided details about the group’s chemical activity.

He allegedly told US officials the militant group had weaponised mustard gas into powdered form and loaded it into artillery shells.

One defence official reportedly said the mustard gas was not concentrated enough to kill anyone, but it could maim people.

Defence department officials said the US does not intend to hold the detainee indefinitely and they will be handed over to the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities after being interviewed.

The capture of the Isis chemical leader is first known major success of the US’s intensified perusal of Isis militants on the ground.

The Obama administration launched the new strategy in December, deploying a commando force to Iraq dedicated to capturing and killing Isis leaders in clandestine operations, as well as generating intelligence leading to more raids.

The US-led coalition began targeting IS' chemical weapons infrastructure with airstrikes and special operations raids over the past two months, the Iraqi officials and a Western security official in Baghdad said.

Airstrikes are targeting laboratories and equipment, and further Special Forces raids targeting chemical weapons experts are planned, the intelligence officials said.

Inside Isis secret tunnels Show all 7 1 / 7 Inside Isis secret tunnels Inside Isis secret tunnels Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters Inside Isis secret tunnels An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground Inside Isis secret tunnels The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Inside Isis secret tunnels Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Inside Isis secret tunnels Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives

Isis is understood to be making a determined effort to develop chemical weapons, Iraqi and American officials have said.

The group is believed to have set up a special unit for chemical weapons research, made up of Iraqi scientists from the Saddam-era weapons program as well as foreign experts.

In February, US intelligence officials confirmed Isis had succeeded in making and deploying chemical agents in the Middle East.

Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said “sulphur mustard” had been used in an alleged Isis attack in Syria and there are “numerous allegations” of Isis’ use of chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq.

So far the extremist group is believed to have only created limited amounts of mustard gas and appears incapable of launching a large-scale chemical weapons attack, which would require expertise, proper equipment and materials and a supply chain to produce enough of the chemical agent to pose a significant threat.

Additional reporting by Associated Press