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GAS ATTACK

Toxic sulphur smoke engulfs Mosul battlefield forcing US troops to wear gas masks after ISIS bomb chemical plant

US forces have handed out 24,000 gas masks to allies after the attack

A TOXIC smoke has engulfed the battlefield where Islamic State fighters are trying to claw back the country's second biggest city.

US forces have handed out 24,000 gas masks to allies after militant's started a fire at a sulphur plant south of Mosul - killing at least two civilians.

Iraqi forces wear protective masks after winds brought fumes from a nearby sulfur plant set alight by Islamic State militants, at south of Mosul in Qayyara, Iraq, October 22
Iraqi forces wear protective masks after winds brought fumes from a nearby sulfur plant set alight by Islamic State militants, at south of Mosul in Qayyara, Iraq, October 22Credit: Getty Images
Iraqi troops wear masks to protect themselves from sulphur smoke from fires lit by Islamic State militants at oil wells and a sulfur plant fills the air
Iraqi troops wear masks to protect themselves from sulphur smoke from fires lit by Islamic State militants at oil wells and a sulfur plant fills the airCredit: AP:Associated Press
Iraqi families arrive near a checkpoint east of Mosul as they flea areas of unrest, on October 22, 2016, during an operation by the Iraqi army to retake the main hub city from IS
Iraqi families arrive near a checkpoint east of Mosul as they flea areas of unrest, on October 22, 2016, during an operation by the Iraqi army to retake the main hub city from ISCredit: Getty Images

The smoke has hampered the efforts of tens of thousands of Iraqi coaltion forces who have united to retake the militant's last major stronghold.

More than 500 people have been treated for breathing problems at a local health centre after the attack.

It has prompted fears that Isis could use chemical warfare as they try to draw away focus from the frontline of the fight for Mosul.

A senior interior ministry officer in Qayyarah, a main staging base south of Mosul, said: "Of course, this is affecting our planned progress."

For the past week troops have been advancing from Mosul’s south and east.

It's set to be the biggest battle the country has seen since the 2003 invasion as they face around 6,000 Isis fighters thought to be in hideout in Mosul.

IS controlled more than a third of Iraq two years ago, but it has been shrinking steadily.

A map showing the control of territory around Mosul on 21 October
A map showing the control of territory around Mosul on 21 October

There is now moves to track down surviving militants who raided the Iraqi city of Kirkuk where 46 people were killed and more than 130 were wounded.

Brigadier General Khattab Omer said: "The security forces control the situation now but there are still pockets of jihadists in some southern and eastern neighbourhoods."

Meanwhile, US defence secretary Ashton Carter said the fight for Mosul was "on track and on schedule" with more than 30,000 troops ready to retake the city.

Since Monday the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been pushing towards Mosul into Christian villages to the east of the city.

They celebrated the liberation of nearby Bartella by ringing the church bells and raising the Iraqi flag over the government compound in Hamdaniya.

Iraqi army guard a checkpoint in Qayyara
Iraqi army guard a checkpoint in QayyaraCredit: Reuters
ISIS fighters have hit back by planting car bombs in desperate bid to take back control
ISIS fighters have hit back by planting car bombs in desperate bid to take back controlCredit: Getty Images
A sulphur smoke cloud has engulfed the battlefield - giving breathing problems to hundreds of people
A sulphur smoke cloud has engulfed the battlefield - giving breathing problems to hundreds of peopleCredit: Reuters
There are around 30,000 troops involved in the battle
There are around 30,000 troops involved in the battleCredit: Getty Images
Iraqi pro-government forces are seen in Qayyara, Iraq, October 22
Iraqi pro-government forces are seen in Qayyara, Iraq, October 22Credit: Reuters
Around 24,000 gas masks have been given out by US forces
Around 24,000 gas masks have been given out by US forcesCredit: Reuters

A total of 50 villages have been taken so far, according to the Iraqi army’s media office, however Isis remain defiant and

Jihadists have attacked convoys with suicide bombers in cars and trucks and used tunnel networks to ambush fighters.
It has been claimed Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, went to Mosul to try and rally the thousands of fighters who control the city.

There are fears for the safety of up to 1.2 million civilians in Mosul who are trapped by the fighting.

They are living with limited food in deteriorating conditions.

The United Nations said Mosul could need the "biggest humanitarian relief operation in the world" following its liberation.


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