Islamic State fighters have begun a new offensive in Qalamoun.
Iraqi media claimed a number if Islamic State fighters have died of food poisoning Source: Twitter

A Kurdish official has reportedly claimed dozens of Islamic State (Isis) fighters have died after eating poisoned food at a Ramadan fast-breaking meal in Iraq's second largest city, Mosul.

Iraqi broadcaster Al Sumaria quoted a spokesperson of the Kurdish Democratic Party as saying 145 jihadists who took part in the same iftar meal were poisoned, with 45 subsequently dying.

The source of the poisoning was not clear, the spokesman said, leaving the door open for a possible deliberate mass killing.

The claim could not be immediately verified but Iraqi and Kurdish media reports sometimes have to be taken with a pinch of salt, as they might suffer from propaganda-related sensationalism, while government forces and Kurdish militia fight IS on the ground.

In November 2014, a similar report surfaced claiming a moderate Syrian rebel posing as a chef infiltrated an IS camp and poisoned dozed of Islamist militants.

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