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. 

 

3. DURING THE PERIOD UP TO 1989.  LARGE CIVILIAN TYPE 

TRUCKS, WITH PLASTIC COVERS, WERE USED TO TRANSPORT CHEMICAL 

WEAPONS SHELLS AND BOMBS TO THE ARMY AND AIR FORCE REAR 

ECHELONS IN CASE THEY WERE NEEDED IN BATTLE 

 

                                                                                       

THE AIR FORCE ALSO HAD AT LEAST ONE SMALL STOCKPILE OF ITS 

OWN (NOT MORE THAN 20-30 CHEMICAL BOMBS).  THE SECURITY 

TROOPS REFERRED TO THESE WEAPONS ONLY AS 'SPECIAL BOMBS.- 

THE HANDLING OF THESE WEAPONS WAS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT 

SINCE MANY OF THEM LEAKED.  THESE LEAKS WERE THE CAUSE OF A 

NUMBER OF DANGEROUS ACCIDENTS WHICH EXPOSED THE TROOPS 

TO THE CHEMICALS.  EXPOSURES RESULTED IN BURNS, BLISTERS AND 

OOZING SORES. CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS WERE REQUIRED TO  

CLEANSE AND TREAT THE BURNED SOLDIERS. 

 

4. AS OF LATE 1989 IRAQ'S HEAD OFFICE OF CHEMISTRY DEFENSE 

WHICH IS SUBORDINATE TO THE MOD WAS LOCATED IN A SEPARATE 

BUILDING 'BEHIND' MOD HEADQUARTERS IN BAGHDAD.  THE IRAQI 

VICE MINISTER OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE WAS KANAN ((KHURSHAD) 

KHURSHAD HAD, REPLACED HANI MUHAMMAD SHAYIB WHO RETIRED FROM 

HIS POSITION AS VICE MINISTER IN THE LATE 1980S.  KHURSHAD 

WAS ORIGINALLY EDUCATED IN THE U.S. VICE MINISTER KRURSHAD 

HAD COMMAND AUTHORITY OVER EACH MILITARY SERVICE-S HEAD OF 

CHEMISTRY DEFENSE, AND THE ARMY AIR FORCE, AND NAVY ALL HAD 

CHEMICAL DEFENSE HIERARCHIES. 

5. IN 1989  EVERY UNIT IN IRAQ'S ARMY HAD SOME CHEMICAL 

DEFENSE CAPABILITY ALMOST ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT USED WAS 

SOVIET MANUFACTURED AND SUPPLIED.  THIS INCLUDED THE 

FOLLOWING SOVIET EQUIPMENT WHICH WAS MOUNTED ON A BATTLE 

FIELD MOBILE SOVIET VEHICLE: 

A 'BBAR' CHEMICAL ATTACK DETECTOR, A "RCH 469" - CHEMICAL 

ATTACK DETECTOR.  A'GSP12' CHEMICAL CONCENTRATION MEASURING 

DEVICE.  A SMALL CHEMICAL LABORATORY, NIGHT FLARES TO SIGNAL 

CHEMICAL ATTACKS TO BATTLEFIELD COMMANDERS AND 12 FLAGS USED 

TO POINT TO THE DIRECTION OF AN ATTACK. 

 

6. AN AVERAGE IRAQI ARMY UNIT OF ABOUT 3.000 MEN WAS 

TYPICALLY ASSIGNED A 20-PERSON CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNIT 

EQUIPPED WITH TWO SOVIET -R469- CHEMICAL ATTACK DETECTOR 

MACHINES: ONE SOVIET RS 19.- -RS 12.- OR -ARS 14- CHEMICAL 

DEFENSE VEHICLE FOR WASHING WEAPONS, BUILDINGS, AND ROADS 

AFTER ATTACK AND TWO SOVIET 'DDA' VEHICLES FOR CLEANSING 

SOLDIERS AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE.  SMALLER, ONE-PERSON 

CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS WERE DEPLOYED WITH SMALLER IRAQI 

ARMY UNITS.  THESE ONE-MAN UNITS WERE EQUIPPED WITH A SOVIET 

CHEMICAL ATTACK DETECTION MACHINE AND A GERMAN 'KARSHER' 

PUMPING MACHINE FOR CLEANSING SOLDIERS.  THE IRAQI MILITARY 

WAS EQUIPPED WITH GAS MASKS AND THE FOLLOWING THREE TYPES OF 

SOVIET-SUPPLIED CHEMICAL DEFENSE SUITS: 'NUMBER ONE' SUITS 

PROVIDED THE MOST PROTECTION AND WERE ONLY USED BY THE 

CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS: 'NUMBER TWO' SUITS COVERING TORSO.  

HANDS, AND LEGS WHICH WERE WORN BY PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN 

CLEANSING AND 'NUMBER THREE' SUITS (ONLY LONG GLOVES AND 

FIRST AID PACKETS) WHICH WERE ISSUED TO THE TROOPS.  

YUGOSLAV FIRST AID KITS INCLUDED ANTI-CHEMICAL WEAPONS 

SHOTS, TWO ATROPINE NEEDLES.  TABLETS FOR NUCLEAR RADIATION.  

AND TWO BOTTLES FOR SPOT CLEANING AFTER EXPOSURE TO ANY 

UNKNOWN CHEMICALS ON THE BATTLEFIELD. 

 

7. THE FOLLOWING ARE UNIT             LOCATIONS OF SOME 

IRAQI CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNITS DEPLOYED AFTER 1983.  MAINLY 

DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR: ARMY CHEMICAL UNIT  EAST OF MISSAN 

EMMARA, NEAR THE IRAQ-IRAN BORDER: ARMY CHEMISTRY UNIT,        

IN THE KATTAEN AREA.  EAST OF THE SHATT AL-ARAB; SMALL ARMY 

CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNIT                 EAST OF BASRA: THE AIR 

FORCE CHEMICAL DEFENSE GROUP 

 

                                                           

THE IRAN-IRAQ BORDER AND SOUTHWEST TOWARDS KUWAIT AND A 

CHEMICAL DEFENSE UNIT AT THE AIR FORCE BASE AT AL WAHDIA AL 

SHAIBA.