IRAQI AIR ATTACKS AGAINST KURDIS

File: 110296_cia_75716_75716_01.txt
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SUBJECT: IRAQI AIR ATTACKS AGAINST KURDIS







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.







   FEB 91   CIA

493139







CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED

INTELLIGENCE.







   FEBRUARY 1991



COUNTRY: IRAQ



SUBJ: EFFECTIVENESS OF IRAQI AIR ATTACKS AGAINST KURDISH

GROUND TROOPS; AVAILABILITY OF FOOD SUPPLIES

WITHIN

IRAQ



DOI: MID-1980'S TO LATE JANUARY 1991







   WE ARE

UNABLE TO

ACCESS THE ACCURACY OF THIS REPORT BUT ASSUME THAT AT LEAST

PARAGRAPHS TWO THROUGH FOUR ARE BASED ON FIRST-HAND

EXPERIENCE.)



2.  ACCORDING TO INFORMATION CIRCULATING IN KURDISH

CIRCLES,

MEMBERS OF THE KURDISH GROUND FORCES -- IN COMMENTING ON THE

EFFECTIVENESS OF IRAQI AIR FOBCE ATTACKS ON KURDISH  GROUND

TROOPS --

NOTE THAT THEY FREQUENTLY FACED THE    PC7

AIRCRAFT,

WHICH HAVE ALWAYS FLOWN AT A HIGH ALTITUDE, OUT OF RANGE  OF

THE

KURDISH GUNS. THE PC7 IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING  APPROXIMATELY

24 AIRTO-

GROUND MISSILES, 12 MOUNTED UNDER EACH WING.  THE  MISSILES

ARE

INACCURATE BUT CAN BE MODIFIED TO CARRY CHEMICAL WEAPONS.



3.  THE IRAQIS HAVE ALSO USED CLUSTER BOMBS TO

DEVASTATING

EFFECT.  AGAINST FORTIFICATIONS, THEY ARE LIKELY TO USE

INCENDIARY

WEAPONS WHICH ARE COMPRISED, AT LEAST IN PART, OF NAPALM.



4. A COMMONLY USED TACTIC OF THE IRAQIS IS  TO  DROP

DUMMY

BOMBS, SOMETIMES ATTACHED TO PARACHUTES, TO DISTRACT  ANTI-

AIRCRAFT

FIRE AWAY FROM THE NEXT WAVE OF ATTACKING AIRCRAFT.



5.  ON A SEPARATE SUBJECT, KURDISH SOURCES HAVE NOTED

THAT, AS

OF   JANUARY 1991, THE FOOD RATIONING SYSTEM INSIDE IRAQ

HAD BEEN

SEVERELY DISRUPTED. THIS HAB LED TO DRAMATIC RISES  IN  THE

BLACK

MARKET COST OF BASIC FOODSTUFFS.  FOR EXAMPLE, THE COST OF A

75-KILOGRAM SACK OF FLOUR, WHEN AVAILABLE, HAS RISEN TO  500

DINARS.

   COMMENT: APPROXIMATELY 0.31 DINARS EQUALS  ONE

U.S.

DOLLAR.) ALTHOUGH THE POPULATION IS SUFFERING, THERE  IS  NO

EVIDENCE

OF ACTUAL STARVATION WITHIN IRAQ.







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