ISIS may be making chemical arms, warns watchdog

There are "extremely worrying" signs that the "Islamic State" (ISIS) terrorist group may be making its own chemical arms and have used them already in Iraq and Syria, a global watchdog said Tuesday.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons head Ahmed Uzumcu said his body's fact-finding teams have found evidence of the use of sulphur mustard in attacks in the two war-torn countries.

"Although they could not attribute this to Daesh... there are strong suspicions that they may have used it (chemical weapons)," Uzumcu told AFP, using the alternative name for the jihadist group.

"Secondly the suspicions are that they may have produced it themselves, which is extremely worrying," Uzumcu said on the sidelines of a three-day conference at the OPCW's Hague-based headquarters. "It proves that they have the technology, know-how and also access to the materials which might be used for the production of chemical weapons," Uzumcu said.