BAGHDAD — The Islamic State (IS) has been accused of using chlorine gas against Iraqi soldiers who were besieged in Anbar province. Survivors of an Iraqi army regiment in Saqlawiya, near Fallujah, say the radical group used the gas against the besieged soldiers. There were conflicting government statements about whether the gas had been used.

The siege on the regiment, which consists of nearly 400 soldiers, has created an uproar in Iraq, with Iraqi members of parliament (MPs) on Sept. 21 demanding the government break the siege. 

The following day, the Anbar Operations Command said it opened the road to Saqlawiya, ending the siege of the soldiers. These statements seemed to be an attempt to ease the anger of MPs and the public at security leaders for leaving the soldiers besieged without any support.

The incident came shortly after the massacre in the Speicher military base in Tikrit, where nearly 1,700 Iraqi air force cadets were killed. The investigations are still ongoing, as the victims’ families continue protests, blaming security leaders for failing to protect the lives of the cadets.