WASHINGTON –
WASHINGTON, March 10,
2016 — The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
has launched multiple airstrikes against the terrorist group’s chemical weapons
capabilities, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters today.
Cook said the strikes
were based, in part, on information provided by an ISIL captive.
During an operation in
Iraq in February, Cook said, coalition forces captured Sulayman Dawud
al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, ISIL's “emir” of chemical and traditional
weapons manufacturing.
His capture removed a
key ISIL leader from the battlefield and provided the coalition with important
information about ISIL's chemical weapons facilities, production, and the
people involved, the press secretary noted. Dawud was transferred earlier today
into the custody of Iraq’s government, Cook added.
“We’re confident that
the strikes that have been conducted have disrupted and degraded [ISIL’s]
chemical weapons capabilities,” he said.
Chemical Strikes
‘Another Component’ of Campaign
While the chemical
program may not have been “knocked out in full,” Cook said, “we feel confident
that we’ve made a difference … and this information was very helpful in
conducting these strikes.”
The information
collected “will continue to inform our operations in the future,” the press
secretary added.
Combined Joint Task
Force Operation Inherent Resolve airstrikes have targeted ISIL units, equipment,
oil refining and transport operations, cash collection centers and now chemical
sites, he said.
“We feel good about
what’s been accomplished here,” Cook said. “And … we’re not done.”
ISIL has shown its
willingness to use chemical weapons, the press secretary said.
“We’ve seen their use demonstrated in Syria
and Iraq,” he said, “and we’re going to continue to do everything we can,
working with our coalition partners, and of course the Iraqi government as
well, to try and address the use of these agents.”
(Follow
Karen Parrish on Twitter: @dodnewskparrish)