Subject: SUBJ: WORKING PAPER MENTIONING POSSIBLE CW EXPOSURE, 1992

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.







1. REQUEST DETAILS PERTAINING TO COALITION GROUND FORCE ACTIVTIES

AT THE FOLLOWING SITES:



AN NASIRIYAH DEPOT SOUTHWEST (3057N04611E)

TALL AL LAHM STORAGE AREA (3047N04627E) (AKA KHAMISIYAH

STORAGE AREA)

KHAMISIYAH CW STORAGE SITE (3044N04625E)



PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHO WAS THERE (WHAT UNIT(S); WHEN

WERE THEY THERE; HOW LONG DID THEY STAY; WHAT ACTIONS WERE TAKEN

(I.E., DID THEY COLLECT AND EXPLOSIVELY DESTROY ANY MUNITIONS? IF

SO, WHERE, WHEN, DETAILS? DID THEY PLACE CHARGES IN/AROUND STORAGE

BUNKERS AND DETONATE THEM?); ETC



2. JUSTIFICATION. THE IRAQIS TOLD UNSC0M 29, AS THEY HAD TOLD

UNSCOM 20, THAT THE DESTRUCTION AT KHAMISIYAH STORAGE AREA AND AT

THE KHAMISIYAH CW STORAGE SITE HAD BEEN CAUSED BY COALITION FORCES

WHO HAD OCCUPIED THE AREA          UNSCOM 20          

CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS PROBABLE THAT THE IRAQIS HAD GATHERED

THE ROCKETS HERE AND ATTEMPTED TO DESTROY THEM THEMSELVES          

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO CONFIRM OR REFUTE THE 

IRAQI CLAIM WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ASSIST THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY'S

EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY IRAQ'S CW STORES.



3. BACKGROUND:



A. IN ITS DECLARATION TO THE U.N. ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS HOLDINGS,

IRAQ DECLARED THAT CHEMICAL MUNITIONS WERE STORED AT KHAMISIYAH,

NEAR AN-NASIRIYAH. THE SPECIFIC LOCATION WAS NOT GIVEN. THE U.S.

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY IDENTIFIED AN-NASIRIYAH DEPOT SOUTHWEST AS

THE PROBABLE FACILITY TO WHICH IRAQ REFERRED.



B. UNSC0M 17 VISITED KHAMISIYAH ON 24 OCT 91 AT THE REQUEST OF

UNSCOM NEW YORK TO CHECK ON REPORTED MOVEMENT OF MUNITIONS THAT

WERE TAKING PLACE. UNSCOM 17 REPORTED THAT THE IRAQIS ADMITTED

MOVING UP TO 20 TRUCKS PER DAY OF RECOVERABLE CONVENTIONAL

MUNITIONS FROM THE DAMAGED STORAGE BUNKERS AT KHAMISIYAH.

ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE UNSCOM 17 PERSONNEL WHO VISITED KHAMISIYAH,

THE REPORT DID NOT STATE, HOWEVER, THAT THE SENIOR IRAQI MINISTRY

OF DEFENSE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD UNSCOM 17 THAT CW MUNITIONS WERE

STORED OUTSIDE THE KHAMISIYAH STORAGE AREA PROPER. UNSCOM 17 DID

NOT INSPECT THE AREA BUT DID REPORT THAT LEAKING CHEMICAL AGENT WAS

NOTICEABLE.



C. UNSCOM 20 VISITED THE KHAMISIYAH STORAGE SITE ON 26 AND 27 OCT

91. THEY STATED THAT BINARY SARIN-FILLED 122MM ROCKETS ALONG WITH

THEIR ASSOCIATED WOODEN CRATES, APPARENTLY SALVAGED FROM WHAT THE

IRAQIS REFERRED TO AS WAREHOUSE 73 AT THE KHAMISIYAH STORAGE AREA,

HAD BEEN PLACED IN FOUR PILES IN A LARGE PIT OUTSIDE THE KHAMISIYAH

STORAGE AREA PROPER; I.E., AT KHAMISIYAH CW STORAGE SITE.

(WAREHOUSE, OR BUNKER, 73 IS LOCATED ABOUT 3 KM FROM THE

HEADQUARTERS BUILDING AT KHAMISIYAH STORAGE AREA. IT IS A STANDARD

AMMUNITION BUNKER OF SURFACE CONSTRUCTION WITH EARTHEN BLAST

PROTECTION ON THE SIDES. IT IS COMPLETELY DESTROYED.) NO MARKINGS

TO IDENTIFY THE ROCKETS AS CHEMICAL MUNITIONS WERE NOTED. THE

WOODEN BOXES APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN PILED UP WITH EXPLOSIVES

UNDERNEATH AND BLOWN TO PIECES. THERE WERE REMAINS OF VARIOUS

OTHER CONVENTIONAL ROCKETS AND OTHER MILITARY-TYPE LITTER IN THE

PIT          EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATED WITH U.S.

MILITARTY DEMOLITIONS WAS DISCOVERED.



D. UNSCOM 29 SPENT THE PERIOD 23 FEB - 22 MAR 92 AT KHAMISIYAH CW

STORAGE SITE, DESTROYING THE 122MM BINARY SARIN-FILLED ROCKETS.

THEY FOUND ADDITIONAL ROCKETS STREWN AROUND THE SITE AND BURIED IN

THE SAND BANKS BETWEEN THE SITE AND THE CANAL TO ITS SOUTH.



4. COMMENTS. THERE IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY THAT COALITION.

(U.S.) GROUND FORCES DESTROYED BUNKERS OR PILES OF MUNITIONS

CONTAINING BINARY SARIN-FILLED ROCKETS, WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE

CHEMICAL ROUNDS WERE PRESENT. RESEARCH TO RESPOND TO UNSCOM'S

QUERY SHOULD ALSO REVEAL IF ANY SUCH EXPOSURE ACTUALLY OCCURRED.

(s)





1.5(c)

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