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Subject: BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

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.







WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.







DIST:          SEPTEMBER 1991



COUNTRY: IRAQ



SUBJ:  BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS







ASSESSMENT



ACCORDING TO THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION, THE IRAQI

BIOLOGICAL PROJECT WAS INITIATED IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES AND WAS

CONDUCTED BY SEVERAL INSTALLATIONS, INCLUDING THE AL-HAZZAN INSTITUTE

IN SALMAN PAK. APART FROM THIS FACILITY, THE PROJECT INVOLVED A

NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL INSTALLATIONS, NONE OF WHICH WERE MENTIONED BY

THE IRAQIS IN THIS CONNECTION. THE INSTALLATIONS ARE:



A. THE BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES IN THE

FRAMEWORK OF THE NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER IN TUWAITHA;



B. THE SINGLE-CELL (SCP) PROTEIN PRODUCTION FACILITY

IN TAJI;



C. THE CLOSTRIDIUM VACCINE PRODUCTION FACILITY IN ABU-

GHRAIB;



D. AND THE LARGE INSTALLATION RECENTLY BUILT IN

LATIFIYA.



THE INSTALLATIONS IN TAJI AND ABU GHRAIB WERE MENTIONED IN THE

DECLARATION OF 18 JULY IN A CIVILIAN CONNECTION, AND IT IS KNOWN THAT

THE FERMENTATION EQUIPMENT WHICH WAS INSTALLED IN THEM WAS ALSO

REMOVED TO THE AL-HUKM SITE.







IN THE COURSE OF THE FIRST YEARS OF THE PROJECT, THE

IRAQIS WERE PROBABLY ENGAGED IN PRELIMINARY RESEARCH AND IN THE

COURSE OF TIME THEY FORMULATED A LIST OF PRIORITY BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

FOR PRODUCTION AS BW.



FOR THIS PURPOSE, BACTERIA STRAINS WERE PURCHASED BY THE

UNIVERSITY OF BAGHDAD AND RSMID (WHO OPERATED JOINTLY AS PROCUREMENT

AGENTS FOR THE PROJECT)          THE

LIST INCLUDED THE FOLLOWINg STRAINS:



A. BACILLUS ANTHRACIS



B. CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM (TYPES A, E, F)



C. FRANCISELLA TULARENSIS



D. BRUCELLA ABORTUS



E. BRUCELLA MELITENSIS



F. CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS







BASED ON THE

AFOREMENTIONED INFORMATION AND THE ANALYSIS OF THE BIOLOGICAL

PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT, THE CULTURE BEDS AND THEIR

COMPONENTS CARRIED OUT IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE MILITARY PROJECT,







IRAQ HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN THE SERIAL PRODUCTION

AND ACCUMULATION OF OPERATIONAL ORBAT OF AT LEAST TWO LETHAL

BIOLOGICAL AGENTS: THE ANTHRAX BACTERIA

AND THE BOTULINUM TOXIN







IRAQI SPECIFIC INVOLVEMENT WITH THE

PERFRINGENS BACTERIA, WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE INTESTINAL POISONING

THROUGH THE CREATION OF TOXINS. THE BACTERIA IS NOT KNOWN AS A

COMPONENT OF A CLASSICAL BW ARSENAL, BUT IT SEEMS THAT THE TOXINS IT

PRODUCES SHOULD BE REGARDED AS EFFECTIVE BW







BEYOND THE

DECLARED IRAQI PREOCCUPATION WITH ANTHRAX AND BOTULINUM,

IT IS CLEAR THAT THE

IRAQI EFFORT INCLUDED ADDITIONAL AGENTS, PROBABLY INTENDING TO

ACCUMULATE OTHER BW AGENTS -- BRUCELLA AND/OR TULAREMIA.)



IRAQ IS

DOING ITS BEST TO PRESENT THE MILITARY BIOLOGICAL PROJECT, EXPOSED

FOR THE FIRST TIME, AS A DEFENSIVE PROJECT WITH NO OFFENSIVE

PRETENSIONS







SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE CRISIS -- IN THE COURSE OF THE

FIGHTING AND AFTERWARDS -- THE IRAQIS DID THEIR BEST TO EVACUATE THE

BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH/PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT FROM THE SPECIAL

INSTALLATIONS, AS WELL AS THE FINISHED PRODUCT (BW AGENTS) FROM THE

STORAGE SITES.          SINCE THE CEASE-FIRE

THE PRESENCE OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT, AND POSSIBLY ALSO OF

MATERIALS IN VARIOUS CAMOUFLAGED AND HIDDEN INSTALLATIONS, SOME OF

THEM UNDERGROUND AND SOME CONCEALED INSIDE CIVILIAN INSTALLATION.)







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