The Islamic State has used chemical agents 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014, according to a new report published Tuesday.

The report, put out by IHS Markit, an information analytics company, and IHS Conflict Monitor, a subsidiary of IHS that uses open-source information to gather data from war zones, also warned of the extremist group’s increasing likelihood of using chemical weapons as it retreats from the city of Mosul.

The Islamic State has used snipers, antitank guided missiles, and car bombs in an effort to stymie the offensive to retake Mosul, but the group has yet to use any conventional chemical weapons as forces enter the city. Internationally condemned, chemical weapons are strictly regulated by international arms treaties.

The Islamic State did, however, set fire to a nearly burnt-out sulfur mine roughly 25 miles southeast of Mosul as the campaign to retake the city began in earnest. As the wind shifted, the noxious fumes wafted over nearby US troops and civilians displaced from the city.

Since 2014, the Islamic State has used chemical weapons 19 times around Mosul. However, before the Iraqi offensive on the city, chemical attacks declined, the report said.

This is probably because the group’s chemical weapons technicians and experts were evacuated to Syria, the report added.

The Islamic State has used chemical weapons, namely sulfur mustard agents, haphazardly throughout its campaigns in Iraq and Syria.

Washington Post