Iraq chlorine attack injures 15

Fifteen Iraqi and US soldiers have been wounded and many more are suffering from chlorine poisoning following a chemical blast in Fallujah, western Iraq.

Insurgents used two chlorine truck bombs as well as mortars and small arms to attack a local government building on Wednesday.

This is the latest in a series of chemical attacks in the country and was described by the US military as "complex".

A US military statement said: "Numerous Iraqi soldiers and policemen are being treated for symptoms such as laboured breathing, nausea, skin irritation and vomiting that are synonymous with chlorine inhalation".

The extent of the injuries is said to be varied and none are thought to be life-threatening.

Iraqi police had earlier reported eight Iraqi soldiers dead after two car bombs exploded outside a US military base in Fallujah. US spokesman Lieutenant Shawn Mercer said this was the same blast reported by the US, but he could not confirm the Iraqi deaths.

A US military statement said: "Iraqi police identified the first suicide attacker and fired on the truck, causing it to detonate before reaching the compound.

"Iraqi Army soldiers spotted the second suicide truck approaching the gate and engaged it with small arms fire, causing it to also detonate near the entrance of the compound."

Recent chemical attacks in Anbar, a mainly Sunni Arab province in western Iraq have been blamed on al-Qaeda militants.

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