Before the Gulf War, the Defense Intelligence Agency, based on two events, assessed that Iraqs ground forces possibly had chemical mines.[146] In the first, a Canadian soldier assigned to a United Nations peacekeeping force after the Iran-Iraq War thought he identified a mine that Iraq had filled with chemical warfare agent in a conventional minefield along the Iran-Iraq border. It was recovered, however, and positively identified as a conventional mine.[147] The second circumstance that caused concern in the US intelligence community began with an explosives shortage in Italy in the mid-1980s, a shortage that led to producing unfilled mine bodies. The US intelligence community was concerned nations such as Iraq, which had used many Italian-produced mines, would fill these mine bodies with chemical warfare agents. This fear proved unfounded; UNSCOM discovered no chemical mines in its post-war inspection and destruction of Iraqs chemical weapons.[148,149]
After the war, contractors for Kuwait collected and destroyed more than 3.5 million mines, none chemical, inside Kuwait. Table 1 lists the mines found in Iraqs minefields. In addition, Coalition forces captured and translated many of Iraqs documents. Except for theoretical discussions, none addressed chemical mines.[150] One of Iraqs captured engineering publications discusses clearing an area of enemy chemical mines, using a US M21 chemical mine as an example.[151]
Iraqs engineers strictly implemented their doctrine for mine-laying operations. A US expert on foreign mines stated he felt very safe in an Iraqi minefield due to Iraqi engineers discipline in following doctrine. Minefield density was consistent and followed the pattern shown in Figure 12 (also see Figures 13 and 14).[152]
Figure 12. Representative Iraqi minefield layout
Facing the enemy, Iraq placed three anti-personnel mines one meter from an anti-tank mine; four to five meters separate each anti-tank mine. During the Gulf War, Iraq consistently followed this doctrine across its entire 400 kilometers of minefields.
After traveling 300 kilometers of this front, the US expert, looking for signs of booby traps or chemical mines, found none. According to this expert, Iraq rigidly followed this doctrine and laying any chemical mines would deviate from it.[153]
Finally, in his and a colleagues expert opinion, chemical mines are "a dumb way to disperse chemicals" because such a mine inadequately disperses chemical warfare agents into the environment. Artillery and aircraft-delivered munitions exploded above ground do a considerably better job.[154]
Table 1. Iraqs landmines[155]
Origin |
Nomenclature and Type |
Fuzing Type |
Belgium | PRB M409 anti-personnel | Simple pressure |
United Kingdom | Bar Mine anti-tank | L89 Single impulse |
China | Type 69 (plastic) anti-personnel Type 72 (plastic) anti-personnel Type 76 (plastic) anti-personnel PMN anti-personnel |
Blast resistant Simple pressure Simple pressure Simple pressure |
Czechoslovakia | PT-MI-BA-III anti-tank | Simple pressure |
France | MI AC HPD F-2 anti-tank | Magnetic |
Italy | Valmara VS 1.6 anti-personnel Valmara VS 2.2 anti-personnel Valmara VS 50 anti-personnel Valmara 59 daisy-chained anti-personnel[156] Valmara 69 daisy-chained anti-personnel P-40 anti-personnel VAR/IG illumination mine VS-T illumination mine |
Blast resistant Blast resistant Blast resistant Simple pressure/trip wire Simple pressure/trip wire Trip wire Trip wire/pressure Trip wire/pressure |
Iraq | P-25 anti-personnel | Trip wire |
Jordan | PRB-05 anti-tank | Single impulse |
USSR | TM 46 anti-tank TM 57 anti-tank TM 62M anti-tank |
Simple pressure Blast resistant Blast resistant |
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