Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations said there was "no evidence" that Islamic State had used chemical weapons in Mosul, where the militants are battling with Iraqi forces for control of the city.
Mohamed Ali Alhakim said on March 10 that Baghdad found "really no evidence" despite reports from the UN and Red Cross a week ago that up to a dozen people, including women and children, had been treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in Mosul since March 1.
The UN Security Council was briefed behind closed doors on the situation in Mosul on March 10 by UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien and UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo.
Britain's UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, who is president of the council this month, said the 15-member body believed that Iraq's investigation into possible chemical weapons attacks was not "definitively" over.
"We expressed concern over reports of possible use of chemical weapons by Daesh [Islamic State] and we look forward to the results of Iraq's investigation into those allegations," Rycroft said after the briefing.