The suspected mustard gas attack targeted the town of Taza, Kirkuk Province, on March 9 from the nearby village of Bashir, which is under the control of ISIS.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Saturday that the attack on Taza “will not go unpunished.”
Hundreds of wounded are now suffering from chemical burns, suffocation, and dehydration, according to Helmi Hamdi, a Taza-based nurse, who added that eight people had even had to be sent to Baghdad for treatment.
Sameer Wais, father of three-year-old Fatima Wais, who was killed in the attack, fights for the local Shiite forces. After learning of the tragedy, he ran home and took his daughter to a clinic and then a hospital in Kirkuk.
The girl seemed better the next day, and the family took her home. However, things took a terrible turn in the evening.
“By midnight she started to get worse. Her face puffed up and her eyes bulged. Then she turned black and pieces of her skin started to come off,” Sameer said, as cited by AP.
The girl died early in the morning. Hundreds of people reportedly attended Fatima’s funeral, some showing their discontent with the government and calling on authorities to protect the population from IS attacks.
Samples have been collected from the site of the attack and are being examined by experts to determine the chemical agent used in the deadly assault. Local officials believe it is mustard agent.
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