File: 110296_cia_93671_72545_19.txt
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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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