U.S. and Iraqi officials say special forces have captured an Islamic State (IS) chemical-weapons expert in a raid last month in northern Iraq.
Iraqi officials told the Associated Press that the captive was Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, who worked for Saddam Hussein's Military Industrialization Authority, where he specialized in chemical and biological weapons.
They said Afari, who is about 50 years old, had led IS's efforts to develop chemical weapons.
NBC News also reported that Afari was the captive while AFP quoted U.S. officials as confirming his captivity. The Pentagon has not officially named the captive.
IS is believed to have used mustard gas at various times in fighting in Iraq and Syria since 2014.
On March 8, Iraqi Kurdish officials reported that more than 40 people were hospitalized after IS shelled a village with Katyusha rockets filled with a chemical agent.
