- Sept 22, 2016 12H:23 GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME
- Middle East
REUTERS
Islamic State militants may have fired a chemical rocket at American troops based in Iraq, the US military says.
A rocket that landed within several hundred yards of US troops at Qayara air base near Mosul may have contained mustard agent, it said.
No one was hurt in the attack on the base, which is home to several hundred US soldiers.
If confirmed, it would be the first chemical weapons attack on coalition forces in Iraq.
Troops stationed at the base are equipped to deal with chemical attacks.
"Unless you are right next to [the shell], exposure is unlikely," a Pentagon official told Fox News.
Two field tests were conducted after the troops saw what they thought was a suspect "oily" substance. The first test came back positive but the second was negative, CNN reports.
The fragment has been sent to a laboratory for further testing.
Speaking to AFP news agency, a US defence official said the rocket had been "militarily ineffective".
"Our concern is not much greater after seeing this," the unnamed source said.
There was no immediate confirmation of the attack in Baghdad, Quentin Sommerville, the BBC's Middle East correspondent, reports.
However, there have been 20 documented cases of chemical weapons being used against Kurdish fighters in Iraq and a quarter of those cases involved mustard gas.
IS has long been suspected of making and using crude chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria, where it also controls territory.
Mustard agent in sufficient quantities can maim or kill by damaging skin, eyes and airways.
Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, has been under IS control for the past two years and the battle to retake it is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
US troops are providing assistance to local forces as they prepare for the offensive.
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