File: 961031_950811_008me_93d.txt
Page: 93d
Total Pages: 1






Information on Iraq's Biological Warfare Program



Filename:008me.93d



12 November 1993



To:    Dr. John Deutch, Under secretary of Defense for 

Acquisitions

 

From:  [   (b)(6)   ]    Armed Forces Medical Intelligence 



Subject:     Information on Iraq's Biological Warfare Program



1.     Prior to the Gulf War, Iraq was assessed to have a

mature biological warfare (BW) program centered at the Salman Pak

BW Facility.  Agents assessed to have been produced and weaponized

were botulinum toxin; Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of

-anthrax; and Clostridium -perfrincens, the causative agent of gas

gangrene.  Agents suspected to he of interest to the Iraqis were

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague; Vibrio cholerae,

Brucella species; a Rickettsia; and staphylococcal enterotoxins.

Munitions available for BW delivery were missile warheads, aerial

bombs, and commercial spray devices.



2.    The Salman Pak BW facility was assessed to be the

primary facility in the Iraqi BW program.  other facilities were

the Taji suspect BW facility; Abu Ghurayb BW Production facility 

Al

Kindi; Abu Ghurayb Suspect BW facility; the Latifiyah suspect BW

facility, and the Baghdad Nuclear Research center at Tuwaitha.

Additional information on these facilities can be found in the

attached documents.



3.     During Desert Shield, several BW facilities were

targeted for bombing  (See Appendix I).   Approximate dates of

bombing are given in Appendix II. A map depicting site locations

can be found in Enclosure l, page 2.



4.    In addition to the confirmed and suspect production

facilities listed above, a storage site at the Salman Pak BW

Facility was bombed.   The construction characteristics of the

Salman Pak storage bunkers were used to locate several additional

bunkers throughout the country which may have been air-conditioned 

 or cooled indicating suitability for BW agent storage. These 

sites

were listed as suspect BW storage facilities on the basis of their

construction similarities to the Salman Pak BW storage Facility.

several of these sites were also bombed.  (See Enclosure 1, page 

21

and page 25.



5.     A list of salman. Pak BW targets and bomb damage

assessment (BDA) is in Enclosure l, page 18.



6.     No standardized biological warfare agents are known to

produce brain tumors or other neoplasms. In general, carcinogenic

substances require many months or years to produce tumors.  

Because

of this delayed reaction, they are not regarded as useful for

biological warfare.







7.      After the war, [      (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4)    ]









 Further  evidence  that  BW  agents  or

munitions were not present during allied bombing is the fact that

no credible reporting of Iraqi disease or illness consistent with

BW agent exposure, was received after the bombing.  [      (b)(1) 

sec 1.3(a)(4)    ]







Enclosures:

-Enclosure 1,  The Iraqi Offensive Biological Warfare Program:

Before, During and After the Gulf War



Enclosure 2, Iraqi BW Capabilities              , DDX-l610-8-91



Enclosure 3, The Status of Iraq's Facilities to Produce Weapons of

Mass Destruction: A preliminary Post-War Assessment        SW 91-

10011.



Enclosure 4, Iraq's Potential for chemical and Biological Warfare

[   (b)(2)   ]









                                  APPENDIX I



         Salman Pak BW Facility

33-19-26N/O44-10-22E

R&D, Storage and Production (Bacillus anthracis, botulinum toxin,

Clostridium perfringens)



         Taji Suspect BW Production Facility

33-33-16n/044-17-46E

Possible site of anthrax spore production



         Abu Ghurayb Vaccine Plant, Al Kindi

33-l8-28N/044-15-49E

Probable site of botulinum toxin production



         Latifiyah

33-0O-56n/044-l3-l7E

Possible Production (agent unknown)



         Abu Ghura-yb Suspect BW Facility.

33-19-26N/044-10-22E

Possible Production and Munition filling

Note:   The Iraqis reportedly were not successful in filling

artillery shells with BW agents at this site.









                                  APPENDIX II



                    BW TARGETS ATTACKED DURING DESERT STORM



Facility                                          Geo Coords      

    Date



Salman Pak BW Research and Production (#)         3350N 04348E    

    1/17



Abu Ghurayb Suspect BW Production                  3319N 04410E'

1/23



Abu Ghurayb BW Product ion                         3318N  04412E  

    2/3*



Taji Suspect BW Storage                            3330N  04414E  

-  2/10*



Taji Suspect BW Production                         3333N  04418�  

    2/8*



Latifiyah Suspect BW Production                    3301N  04413E  

    2/8*





KEY:



(#)  Multiple Targets, Multiple Attack Dates



*    Approximate date of attack



Note:   12-Frame Storage Bunkers bombed are denoted on DIA list 

"CBW

Targets Attacked During Desert Storm" furnished to Dr. Deutch's

office by [   (b)(6)   ]

 

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