Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

Subject: IRAQI ARMY CHEMICAL WEAPONS DOCTRINE; IRANIAN USE OF

CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST IRAQI TROOPS

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.







DEC 94 







CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY







SUMMARY: THIS REPORT FORWARDS INFORMATION ON THE CHEMICAL WARFARE

DOCTRINE OF THE IRAQ ARMY INCLUDING DECISION MAKING AUTHORITIES

CAPABLE OF ORDERING THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS (CW); EXAMPLES OF

CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN IRAQ USED CW'S; DOCTRINE FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS

IN A CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED AREA; CW DELIVERY SYSTEMS; LENGTH OF

TIME ATTACKING IRAQI GROUND UNITS WAITED PRIOR TO ENTERING A

CW-CONTAMINATED AREA; CONTAMINATED AREA MARKING METHOD;

DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES FOR PERSONNEL AND VEHICLES; AND

OPERATIONS OF SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNITS. INCLUDED IS LIMITED IRAQI

INFORMATION ON IRANIAN CW USE DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR.







TEXT: 1. AS            1991, THE IRAQI ARMY HAD NO CLEARLY

DEFINED DOCTRINE WHICH SPECIFIED UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES CHEMICAL

WEAPONS (CW) WOULD BE USED IN EITHER DEFENSIVE OR OFFENSIVE

OPERATIONS.







2. THE IRAQI ARMY DID HAVE DOCTRINE WHICH ADDRESSED HOW TO

DELIVER CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON TARGET AND HOW TO OPERATE IN A

CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE

AMONG IRAQI GROUND FORCES THAT SOME TYPE OF CW, I.E. AN

UNIDENTIFIED NERVE AGENT, WAS USED DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR AND

AGAINST THE KURDS IN NORTHERN IRAQ IN 1991. IRAQI ARMY CW

DOCTRINE EVOLVED THROUGH LESSONS LEARNED FROM ACTUAL USE OF

CHEMICAL WEAPONS.







3. PRIOR TO A PLANNED OFFENSIVE USE OF CW, A DETACHMENT FROM

A SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNIT BASED IN BAGHDAD WOULD COME TO THE FRONT.

                  IT WAS COMMON.







KNOWLEDGE IN THE IRAQI ARMOR BRANCH THAT THE IRAQI CW INVENTORY

COULD BE DELIVERED BY FOUR PRIMARY MEANS: AIRCRAFT, ARTILLERY

SHELLS, CHEMICAL MINES, AND TANK MAIN GUN AMMUNITION THE

CHEMICAL DETACHMENT MEASURED WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION AND INFORMED

THE ATTACKING UNITS OF THE EXACT TIME THEY COULD PROCEED INTO THE

CONTAMINATED AREA AFTER THE ATTACK.          COMMENT: THIS UNIT

MAY ALSO HAVE INFORMED THE UNIT DELIVERING THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS OF

FAVORABLE WIND DIRECTIONE

4. AFTER THE TARGET AREA WAS STRUCK WITH CHEMICAL MUNITIONS,

THE CHEMICAL DETACHMENT CONTINUED TO MONITOR WIND SPEED AND

DIRECTION. IN ADDITION, THE DETACHMENT HAD SOME TYPE OF EQUIPMENT

WITH THE CAPABILITY OF MONITORING CHEMICAL CONCENTRATION IN THE

AIR. THE ATTACKING UNITS WERE REQUIRED TO WAIT FOR APPROVAL FROM

THE CHEMICAL DETACHMENT BEFORE ADVANCING. ORDERS TO ADVANCE WERE

ISSUED BETWEEN 20 AND 60 MINUTES AFTER THE CHEMICAL BOMBARDMENT

CEASED IN THE TARGET AREA.



5. TARGET AREAS WHICH THE IRAQI ARMY NEEDED TO OCCUPY OR PASS

THROUGHWERESPECIALLYMARKED. THECHEMICALDETACHMENTADVANCED

INTO THE TARGET AREA FIRST AND MARKED THE CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED

AREA. THEY PLACED AROUND THE ENTIRE CONTAMINATED AREA A 3-INCH OR

4-INCH-WIDE RED TAPE WHICH WAS MARKED WITH AN UNKNOWN CODE SYMBOL

AND A SKULL AND CROSSBONES. TARGET AREAS WHICH THE ARMY DID NOT

NEED TO OCCUPY OR PASS THROUGH WERE STRUCK WITH CW AND LEFT

UNMARKED. WHEN CW WAS USED AGAINST THE KURDS IN 1991, IRAQI

FORCES WOULD BOMB A VILLAGE AND THEN AVOID THE CONTAMINATED AREA.



6. DETACHMENTS FROM THE SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNIT WERE EQUIPPED

WITH UNIDENTIFIED MODEL MERCEDES AND LAND ROVER TRUCKS WITH SOME

TYPE OF ENCLOSED BOX ON THE REAR,





7. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP) FOR IRAQI ARMOR UNITS

PRIOR TO ENTERING A CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED AREA CONSISTED OF THE

FOLLOWING:







A. VEHICLES WERE SEALED, I.E., ALL HATCHES AND DOORS, AND

THE ENGINE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD DOORS ON THE REAR OF THE TANK, WERE

CLOSED. VEHICLE DRIVERS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR A DOUBLE CHECK TO

ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED PROPERLY.







B. ALL PERSONNEL PUT ON A CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE MASK WITH

HOOD AND AN IRAQI-MADE CHEMICAL PROTECTION SUIT ("ABAIYA'). ALL

PERSONNEL OUTSIDE SEALED VEHICLES WORE PROTECTIVE GLOVES AND

BOOTS







C. ALL VEHICLE DRIVERS WERE INSTRUCTED TO PROCEED

CAUTIOUSLY, TAKING SPECIAL CARE TO AVOID DRIVING OVER ANY UNUSUAL

OBSTACLES WHICH COULD BE UNEXPLODED CHEMICAL MUNITIONS. THEY WERE

TO DRIVE SLOWLY THROUGH THE AREA, IN A CIRCUITOUS PATTERN IF

NECESSARY, AVOIDING BUMPS, RUBBLE, ETC.







D. ALL PERSONNEL ENTERING THE CONTAMINATED AREA WERE

INSTRUCTED NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING.







8. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR IRAQ] UNITS WHICH PASSED

THROUGH OR BRIEFLY OCCUPIED A CONTAMINATED AREA WAS AS FOLLOWS:







A. ALL PERSONNEL WERE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO A SPECIAL

CHEMICAL UNIT AS SOON AS THE MISSION ALLOWED. THIS CHEMICAL UNIT

OPERATED A SHOWER POINT FOR PERSONNEL DECONTAMINATION. THE SHOWER

POINT CONSISTED OF ENCLOSED TENTS WITH SHOWER STALLS. EACH SOLDIER

WAS REQUIRED TO STRIP COMPLETELY NAKED, ENTER THE TENT, AND USE A

SHOWER STALL TO BATHE. THE WATER SPRAY IN THE SHOWER STALL WAS

MIXED WITH AN UNKNOWN TYPE OF SOAP OR CHEMICAL.







B. ALL CLOTHING WHICH HAD BEEN WORN IN A CONTAMINATED

AREA WAS REMOVED AND LEFT AT THE SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNIT WHICH WAS

RESPONSIBLE FOR DESTROYING OR TRANSPORTING THE CLOTHING TO ANOTHER

LOCATION. NEW CLOTHING WAS ISSUED BY THE SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNIT TO

ALL PERSONNEL AFTER THEY FINISHED THE DECONTAMINATION SHOWER.







C. ALL VEHICLE DRIVERS WERE REQUIRED TO DECONTAMINATE

THEIR VEHICLES PRIOR TO PROCEEDING TO THE SHOWER POINT. SOP

REQUIRED A DRIVER TO DRIVE TO A BODY OF WATER, I. E. A RIVER,

STREAM, OR SMALL POND, WHERE HE WOULD WASH HIS VEHICLE COMPLETELY

BY HAND WEARING PROTECTIVE GLOVES, BOOTS, MASK WITH HOOD, AND

PROTECTIVE SUIT.







D. THESE DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES WERE NOT BEGUN UNTIL

THE TACTICAL SITUATION WAS CLEARLY CONTROLLED BY THE IRAQIS.







1 1. THE IRANIANS ALSO USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS DURING THE

IRAN-IRAQ WAR. IRAQI ARMY DOCTRINE INCORPORATED THE USE OF AIR

RAID SIRENS TO WARN TROOPS OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION. THE SIRENS

WERE CONTROLLED BY OBSERVERS FROM THE SPECIAL CHEMICAL UNIT

DETACHMENT WHO DEPLOYED ALONG THE FRONT WITH AN UNKNOWN TYPE OF

CHEMICAL DETECTION EQUIPMENT.







END OF MESSAGE







1.5(c)

61884:61884

Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search