Subject: IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND DEFENSE CAPABILITIES  

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. 

 

 

MORI ID 70596:70596 

 

SECTION 1 OF 2 

CITE CIA 369862 

 

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 

 

NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. 

 

 

COUNTRY: IRAQ 

 

SUBJ: 1. IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND DEFENSE CAPABILITIES 

AND ORGANIZATION 

 

SUMMARY- As OF 1989, IRAQ'S PRIMARY OFFENSIVE CHEMICAL 

WEAPONS MANUFACTURING CENTER WAS LOCATED IN SAMARRA 

CHEMICALS AVAILABLE FOR WEAPONS INCLUDE KHARDAL, CYANIDE, 

LUISIDE, AND PHOSGENE. IRAQI FORCES HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO 

DEPLOY THESE WEAPONS FROM MISSILES AIRCRAFT, AND ARTILLERY.  

THE AUTHORITY TO PRODUCE AND DEPLOY CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAS 

SHIFTED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE 1984 AND AS OF 1989 WAS BELIEVED 

TO BE HELD BY SADDAM HUSAYN'S SON-IN-LAW AND MINISTER OF 

INDUSTRY AND MILITARY INDUSTRIES, HUSAYN KAMIL AL-MAJID.  

THE ARMY'S STRATEGY FOR THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN THE 

THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR WAS TO DETER AND REVERSE A DECISIVE AND 

STRONG GROUND OFFENSIVE BY THE  ENEMY. IRAQ'S HEAD OFFICE OF 

CHEMISTRY DEFENSE WAS LOCATED NEAR MINISTRY OF 

DEFENSE(MOD)HEADQUARTERS IN BAGHDAD AND WAS HEADED BY VICE 

MINISTER OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE, KANAN KRURSHAD WHO MANAGED 

EACH MILITARY SERVICE'S CHEMICAL DEFENSE HIERARCHY.  ALL OF 

IRAQ-S ARMY HAD SOME CHEMICAL DEFENSE CAPABILITY, INCLUDING 

SOVIET GAS MASKS, PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT USED TO 

DETECT.  ANALYZE.  AND MEASURE THE SEVERITY OF CHEMICAL 

ATTACKS.  

 

TEXT: 1. AS OF 1989, IRAQ'S PRIMARY OFFENSIVE CHEMICAL 

WEAPONS MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY WAS LOCATED IN SAMARRA, 

IRAQ. CIVILIAN AND MILITARY PERSONNEL WERE SAID TO HAVE BEEN 

WORKING THERE DURING THE LATE 1980'S.  PROJECT NUMBER "922" 

(NFI) WAS ALSO KNOWN TO BE SOMEHOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE 

CHEMICAL WEAPONS ACTIVITY AT SAMARRA. ACCORDING TO IRAQI 

FORCES HAD THE FOLLOWING CHEMICALS IN ITS OFFENSIVE STOCKS: 

KHARDAL, CYANIDE LUISIDE, AND PHOSGENE. 

COMMENT: LUISIDE IS POSSIBLY IDENTICAL TO THE BLISTER AGENT 

LEWISITE) THE IRAQI MILITARY HAD THE CAPABILITY TO DEPLOY 

THESE CHEMICALS THROUGH SEVERAL DELIVERY SYSTEMS: VIA 

MISSILES, AIRCRAFT BOMBS, AND ARMY 155 MILLIMETER (MM) AND 

175 MM SHELLS. 

2. BEFORE 1984 THE HEAD MANAGER OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE, HANI 

MUHAMMAD ((SHAYIB)), HAD AUTHORITY OVER THE PRODUCTION OF 

IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS.  IN 1984 PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT 

AUTHORITY WAS SHIFTED TO THE MOD AND IN 1985 IT WAS SHIFTED 

AGAIN TO THE OFFICE OF IRAQI PRESIDENT ((SADDAM) HUSAYN. 

SOMETIME BETWEEN 1985 AND 1989, PRODUCTION AUTHORITY WAS 

SHIFTED TO MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND MILITARY INDUSTRIES 

HUSAYN KAMIL AL.((MAJID))- IN AT LEAST ONE INSTANCE DURING 

THE PERIOD 1986-1987, AFTER ONE OF IRAN'S MAJOR OFFENSIVES 

IN 

THE SHATT AL-ARAB- THE DECISION TO USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS WAS 

MADE AT THE BATTLEFIELD COMMAND LEVEL THE ARMY'S GENERAL 

STRATEGY FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE IN THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR WAS 

TO DETER AND REVERSE A DECISIVE AND STRONG GROUND OFFENSIVE 

BY THE ENEMY.