Chemical attacks 'frequently' reported in Iraq: WHO

The World Health Organisation [WHO] has received frequent reports about chemical attacks in Iraq, particularly in the battleground city of Mosul, a spokesman for the UN organisation said on Sunday.

"Events involving the possible deliberate use of toxic chemicals to cause harm to Iraqi men, women and children increased substantially in northern Iraq in 2016," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

According to Jasarevic, the WHO received "sporadic but frequent" reports about possible chemical attacks in Iraq.

He did not elaborate on whether blame for the attacks was attributed tot he Islamic State group or other parties involved in the battle for Mosul.

While one chemical attack in Mosul was widely reported in early March, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday that IS has allegedly used such weapons 71 times since 2014 in Iraq and Syria, according to the London think tank IHS Conflict Monitor.

Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition have been battling since October to wrest the city of Mosul from IS group control.

On Sunday, a senior Iraqi commander said that two thirds of Mosul's Old City had been taken, a week after launching an offensive against the militant group's last bastion in the city.

Analysts say that the IS' chemical weapons capabilities have been severely affected by the siege of Mosul and the targeted killing of the militant's weapons experts by US-led coalition airstrikes.