File: 110296_cia_93671_72545_19.txt
Page: 19
Total Pages: 2
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| First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Back to Text |