Baghdad: An Iraqi military officer says Daesh terrorists have launched a gas attack in a newly-liberated area in western Mosul.

The officer with the anti-terrorism forces said on Saturday that the attack occurred the night before in the Al Abar neighbourhood, when Daesh fired a rocked loaded with chlorine. He said seven soldiers suffered breathing problems and were treated in a nearby field clinic.

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to release information.

US-backed Iraqi forces are currently battling Daesh terrorists in the more densely-populated western half of Mosul. Iraqi officials say more than half of western Mosul has been retaken. The extremists were driven out of the eastern half of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in January.