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SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF IRAQI CHEMICAL WARFARE ACTIVITY

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.







     SEP 90







TEXT:







ITEM/012/SAMARRA CW RSCH PROD A STOR FAC/     

LOC/GEO:334956N0434813E/UTM:38SLC39283744







STATACT/OPR

RMK/IRAQ: CHEMICAL WARFARE SUMMARY     



     SUMMARY OF IRAQI CHEMICAL WARFARE (CW)

ACTIVITY     







SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITY     DURING THE PERIOD     JULY TO     

SEPTEMBER INCLUDED:     



THE PROBABLE PRODUCTION, STORAGE, AND SHIPMENT OF CW AGENTS FROM

SAMARRA CW RESEARCH PRODUCTION AND STORAGE FACILITY     

     THE LOADING OF      CASES,     

IN      STAKE-BED TRUCK,

PROVIDED     EVIDENCE THAT CW AGENTS-MUNITIONS WERE

SHIPPED FROM THE PRODUCTION FACILITY PRIOR TO THE IRAQI INVASION.







CHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION SITES     AT NINE

LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ AND KUWAIT, INDICATING PREPARATIONS FOR

WASHDOWN-DECONTAMINATION OPERATIONS IN A CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT.







UNUSUAL ACTIVITY AT AHMED AL JABER AIRFIELD IN KUWAIT     







ACTIVITY AT IRAQI CW PRODUCTION FACILITIES:     



SAMARRA CW RESEARCH PRODUCTION AND STORAGE FACILITY     







THIS CW RESEARCH, PRODUCTION, AND STORAGE FACILITY IS 40 KM SOUTH

OF SAMARRA AND 79 KM NORTHWEST OF BAGHDAD. IT IS IRAQ'S PRIMARY

CW AGENT PRODUCTION FACILITY AND ONE OF THE LARGEST IRAQI

REAR-AREA STORAGE FACILITIES FOR CW MUNITIONS. DURING THE FINAL

OFFENSIVES IN THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR IN MAY-JUNE 1988,     

CONVOYS OF 30-40 STAKE-BED TRUCKS, ACCOMPANIED BY A     

     TANKER (DECONTAMINATION) TRUCK. THE STAKE-BED TRUCKS

WERE LOADED WITH RECTANGULAR     CASES,     







     THE CASES WERE PROBABLY REMOVED FROM THE CRUCIFORM

BUNKER AREA, AND PROBABLY CONTAINED CW MUNITIONS FOR TRANSPORT TO

AIRFIELDS AND FORWARD DEPOTS.     



ON      JULY 1990, A      PROBABLE DECONTAMINATION VEHICLE,

THREE LOADED STAKE-BED TRUCKS, AND A FORKLIFT WERE     AT THE

BUNKERED STORAGE AREA. ON     JULY, SIMILAR ACTIVITY WAS NOTED AT

THE PROBABLE CHEMICAL MUNITIONS FILLING COMPOUND AT SAMARRA     

     FOUR LOADED STAKE-BED

TRUCKS AND TWO PROBABLE DECONTAMINATION VEHICLES WERE AT THE

FILLING COMPOUND, AND A FORKLIFT WAS LOADING ONE OF THE TRUCKS

WITH CASES OF PROBABLE CW MUNITIONS. ON      AUGUST, THREE STAKE-BED

TRUCKS WERE     ENTERING THE FILLING COMPOUND.     



HANDLING OPERATIONS WERE ALSO     AT TWO AREAS WITHIN THE

FACILITY ON     SEPTEMBER. IN THE SPECIAL STORAGE AND PROBABLE

FILLING COMPOUND, VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE TRANSFER OF

PROBABLE CHEMICAL-RELATED MATERIALS IN FRONT OF TWO OF THE THREE

PROBABLE FILLING BUILDINGS. ONE STAKE-BED TRUCK, NEARLY

TWO-THIRDS FULL WITH PROBABLE CHEMICAL-RELATED CONTAINERS OR

MATERIAL, WAS POSITIONED IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE BUILDINGS. AT THE

SECOND BUILDING, ANOTHER STAKE-BED TRUCK     TO HAVE

CONTAINERS OR MATERIAL IN THE REAR OF THE OPEN BED. ONE PROBABLE

DECONTAMINATION TRUCK AND A PROBABLE FORKLIFT WERE NEAR THE

STAKE-BED TRUCK      







IN THE PROBABLE CHEMICAL WEAPONS STORAGE BUNKER AREA, ANOTHER

STAKE-BED TRUCK WAS     ALONGSIDE ONE OF THE CRUCIFORM

BUNKERS. A FORKLIFT WAS WORKING AT THE REAR OF THE TRUCK, AND

UNIDENTIFIED MATERIALS WERE NEARBY. THE CONTENTS OF THE TRUCK'S

BED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. A PROBABLE DECONTAMINATION TRUCK WAS

ALSO AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PROBABLE CHEMICAL WEAPONS STORAGE

BUNKER AREA.     



NO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY     AT THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTION-TEST

FACILITIES     



HABBANIYAH II POSSIBLE CW PRODUCTION FACILITY     

HABBANIYAH I POSSIBLE CW PRODUCTION FACILITY     

SALMAN PAK BCW RESEARCH PRODUCTION AND STORAGE FACILITY     



SAMARRA PHARMACEUTICAL PLANT     

HABBANIYAH III POSSIBLE CW PRODUCTION FACILITY     

AL HADRE PROBABLE CW TEST FACILITY     







CW-RELATED ACTIVITY AT IRAQI GROUND FORCES UNITS:     



BEFORE THE INVASION OF KUWAIT, IRAQI CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS WERE

DEPLOYED WITH MANEUVER DIVISIONS AND AT A HEADQUARTERS-LOGISTICS

AREA NORTH OF THE KUWAIT BORDER. THESE CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS ARE

A STANDARD COMPONENT OF IRAQI GROUND FORCES STRUCTURE. ON     

AUGUST, THESE CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS DEPARTED THEIR DEPLOYMENT

AREAS AND PROBABLY ACCOMPANIED MANEUVER UNITS INTO KUWAIT.     



FOLLOWING THE IRAQI OCCUPATION OF KUWAIT,     

     PREPARATIONS-TRAINING FOR OPERATIONS IN A CHEMICAL

ENVIRONMENT WAS      AT NINE LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ AND

KUWAIT.     VEHICLE

WASHDOWN-DECONTAMINATION SITE CONSISTING OF A SERIES OF V-SHAPED

LIQUID RUN-OFF TRENCHED. EACH TRENCH CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF

CONNECTED, RECTANGULAR CATCH BASINS ORIGINATING FROM THE

DECONTAMINATION VEHICLE AT THE APEX OF THE `V'. THE PRESENCE OF

THE WASHDOWN-DECONTAMINATION SITES, LOCATED IN BOTH ARMORED AND

INFANTRY DIVISION DEPLOYMENT AREAS     

     HOWEVER,

THE SITES DO NOT INDICATE AN IMMINENT INTENT TO EMPLOY CHEMICAL

WEAPONS. DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR, WASHDOWN-DECONTAMINATION SITES

WERE     AT THE BATTLE FRONT AS WELL AS IN REAR GARRISON-TRAINING

AREAS.







VEHICLE WASHDOWN-DECONTAMINATION SITES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED

IN SOUTHERN IRAQ AND IN KUWAIT AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: (S-WN)



IRAQ -



50 KM NORTH OF AL BASRAH -- 30-54N 047-29E

25 KM NORTHWEST OF AL BASRAH -- 30-46N 047-33E

IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF SAFWAN AIRFIELD -- 30-07N 047-39E

10 KM EAST OF SAFWAN AIRFIELD -- 30-08N 047-45E

9 KM SOUTHWEST OF AZ ZUBAYR -- 30-20N 047-36E

16 KM SOUTHWEST OF AL MUFRASH AIRFIELD -- 30-09N 047-20E

9 KM NORTHWEST OF UMM QASR -- 30-05N 047-54E

24 KM WEST OR AR RUMAYLAH AIRFIELD -- 30-34N 047-10E



KUWAIT



NEAR RAS AL QULAYAH -- 28-52N 048-11E





SUSPECT CW-RELATED ACTIVITY AT IRAQI AIRFIELDS:    



     NOT PROVIDED CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF IMPENDING CHEMICAL

USE BY THE IRAQI AIR FORCE DURING THE KUWAITI OPERATION.     







TALLIL AIRFIELD     



THIS MAJOR FIGHTER BASE IS 170 KM WEST-NORTHWEST OF AL BASRAH AND

320 KM SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF BAGHDAD, AND SUPPORTS IRAQI FORCES IN

THE KUWAITI THEATER OF OPERATIONS. ON     AUGUST, 25 CANISTERS WERE

     IN OPEN STORAGE AT THE AIRFIELD'S SEPARATELY-SECURED

S-SHAPED SUSPECT CW MUNITIONS BUNKER, AND TWO SIMILAR OBJECTS WERE

     NEAR SU-20-22 (FITTER) STRIKE AIRCRAFT WHICH WERE BEING

UPLOADED WITH MUNITIONS. ALTHOUGH THIS ACTIVITY WAS VERY UNUSUAL,

     LOADED STAKE-BED TRUCKS OR DECONTAMINATION

VEHICLES WERE NOT PRESENT. IT CANNOT BE CONFIRMED THAT THE

OBJECTS NEAR THE AIRCRAFT OR THE SUSPECT CW BUNKER WERE CHEMICAL

RELATED.     



UBAYDAH BIN AL JARRAH AIRFIELD     



THIS AIRFIELD IS APPROXIMATELY 7 KM SOUTHWEST OF KUT AL AMARAH AND

150 KM SOUTHEAST OF BAGHDAD ON THE SOUTH BANK OF THE TIGRIS RIVER.

     HOUSES THE      INTERCEPT SQUADRON EQUIPPED WITH

THE AM-39 EXOCET-ASM-CAPABLE MIRAGE F.1, A SECOND MIRAGE F.1

SQUADRON, AND ONE MIG-21 (FISHBED) FIGHTER SQUADRON. ON     AUGUST,

A STAKE-BED TRUCK AND A POSSIBLE DECONTAMINATION VEHICLE WERE

     AT AN S-SHAPED SUSPECT CW MUNITIONS BUNKER AT THE

AIRFIELD. THIS ACTIVITY WAS VERY UNUSUAL AND MAY HAVE INDICATED

MOVEMENT OF CW MUNITIONS; HOWEVER, THE STAKE-BED TRUCK WAS EMPTY,

NO FORKLIFT WAS PRESENT, AND THE POSSIBLE DECONTAMINATION VEHICLE

     ON      AUGUST, A STAKE-BED TRUCK LOADED WITH CRATES

WAS NEAR A CUB TRANSPORT, WITH A TRUCK-MOUNTED CRANE, A FORKLIFT,

AND A PROBABLE FUEL TRUCK. HOWEVER, A DECONTAMINATION VEHICLE WAS

NOT     NEAR THE CUB TRANSPORT, AND THE FORKLIFT     

CARRY A CRATE HORIZONTALLY, RATHER THAN VERTICALLY AS THE STACKS

OF CASES ARE LOADED ON VEHICLES AT SAMARRA.     



AHMED AL JABER AIR BASE, KUWAIT     



THIS AIRFIELD IS IN SOUTHERN KUWAIT, APPROXIMATELY 55 KM SOUTHWEST

OF KUWAIT CITY AND 18 KM NORTH OF THE KUWAIT-SAUDI ARABIA BORDER.







     ON     AUGUST, IL-76 CANDID TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT BEGAN

ARRIVING AT AHMED AL JABER TO DELIVER UNIDENTIFIED CARGO. BY     

AUGUST, THREE CANDID TRANSPORTS, THE MOST     HERE SINCE THE

INVASION, WERE PARKED ON THE MAIN APRON WHERE THEIR CARGO WAS

BEING UNLOADED. DURING THIS ACTIVITY THE DOORS TO AT LEAST TEN

HABS WERE OPEN.     







     SEPTEMBER, FOLLOWING DELIVERIES TO AHMED AL JABER BY THE

CANDID TRANSPORTS, THE MAIN RUNWAY WAS BLOCKED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY

THE SECONDARY RUNWAY WAS ALSO BLOCKED.     SEPTEMBER

REVEALED THAT 155-MM GHN-45 HOWITZERS WERE BEING EMPLACED NEAR A

SET OF SEPARATELY-SECURED HABS, AND     SEPTEMBER REVETMENTS FOR

THE GUNS HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE HABS. A

TOTAL OF 19 GUNS IN REVETTED FIRING POSITIONS WERE PRESENT     

SEPTEMBER.     SEPTEMBER, SEVEN OF THE GUNS WERE REMOVED AND 12

REMAINED DEPLOYED NEXT TO 11 HABS.     SEPTEMBER, 14 ADDITIONAL

155-MM GHN-45 GUN HOWITZERS HAD ARRIVED AND WERE EMPLACED NEAR THE

HABS. FOUR ADDITIONAL GUNS ARRIVED     SEPTEMBER BRINGING THE

TOTAL NUMBER OF GUN HOWITZERS AT THE AIRFIELD TO THIRTY     







SUSPECT CW-RELATED ACTIVITY AT IRAQI SRBM FACILITIES:     



     NOT PROVIDED CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF CW MUNITIONS USE

WITH IRAQ'S MISSILE FORCES DURING THE KUWAITI OPERATION.     



QUBAYSAH STORAGE FACILITY     



THIS STORAGE FACILITY IS 29 KM SOUTHWEST OF AL MUHAMMADI AIRFIELD

     AUGUST 1990, A DDA-66 DECONTAMINATION

VEHICLE AND A DDP TOWED DECONTAMINATION TRAILER WERE     AT

THE FACILITY, WHICH SUPPORTS THE IRAQI SCUD-MODIFIED SCUD MISSILE

DEPLOYMENTS IN WESTERN IRAQ. THE PRESENCE OF DECONTAMINATION

EQUIPMENT WOULD BE EXPECTED IF CHEMICAL WARHEADS WERE PRESENT.

HOWEVER, IT IS PROBABLY STANDARD OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE TO HAVE

DECONTAMINATION VEHICLES PRESENT DURING THE HANDLING OF

PROPELLANTS, FUELS, AND OTHER FLAMMABLE-TOXIC CHEMICALS ASSOCIATED

WITH IRAQ'S SRBM SYSTEMS.     







END OF MESSAGE







1.5 (C)

93671-72545

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