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Subject: IRAQI CW

Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence







TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN

REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN

TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF

THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON

REQUEST.







THE IRAQI CW PROGRAM







2. BACKGROUND TO SAMARRA AND IRAQ'S CW PROGRAM-IRAQ'S CHEMICAL

WARFARE (CW) PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST IN THE THIRD WORLD. BAGHDAD'S

OFFENSIVE INTEREST IN CW DATES BACK TO THE EARLY 1970S. IN ABOUT

1975, CONSTRUCTION OF TWO CW FACILITIES BEGAN NEAR SAMARRA AND SALMON

PAK. THE SALMAN PAK FACILITY (LOCATED 35KM SOUTHEAST OF BAGHDAD) WAS

A PILOT-PLANT OPERATION, WHEREAS SAMARRA (LOCATED 75KM NORTHWEST OF

BAGHDAD) WAS AN EXTENSIVE, INTEGRATED CHEMICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION

FACILITY. LIMITED AMOUNTS OF CW AGENTS WERE PRODUCED AT SALMON PAK,

AND MOST R&D ON CW OCCURRED THERE UNTIL THE MID-TO-LATE 1980S.



3. SAMARRA DID NOT BEGIN PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF CW

AGENTS UNTIL 1982-83. THE AGENTS PRODUCED THERE INITIALLY WERE THE

RIOT CONTROL (TEAR GAS) AGENT GS AND THE BLISTER AGENT SULFER

MUSTARD. BY 1984, THE FACILITY WAS PRODUCING THE NERVE AGENT TABUN;

IRAQ FIRST USED THIS AGENT AGAINST IRAN THAT YEAR, BECOMING THE FIRST

NATION TO USE NERVE AGENTS ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THE FACILITY LATER

BEGAN PRODUCING OTHER NERVE AGENTS, INCLUDING SARIN. OTHER AGENTS

MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN EXPERIMENTAL QUANTITIES DURING THIS TIME

FRAME.







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