SAUDI ARABIA   DETECTION OF CW AGENTS IN DESERT SHIELD/DESERT

Filename:042300nv.93
042300Z NOV 93
FM SSO DIA//PO-4B//

SERIAL:  MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIGEST {MID} 308-1E

SUBJ: SAUDI ARABIA   DETECTION OF CW AGENTS IN DESERT 
SHIELD/DESERT
STORM. {U}
DOI:  4 NOV 93 {AS OF 1815 EST}
 
TEXT: 1. SEVERAL CZECHOSLOVAKIAN NBC DETACHMENTS DETECTED
CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS DURING DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM  AT THIS
JUNCTURE, THE FACTS DO NOT TIE ANY KNOWN IRAQI OR COALITION 
OFFENSIVE MILITARY ACTIONS TO THESE CW DETECTIONS.
2. ON 19 JANUARY 1991, TWO CZECH NBC DETACHMENTS DETECTED
NERVE AGENTS AT THEIR POSITIONS NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF HAFR AL 
BATIN, SAUDI ARABIA. EACH UNIT WAS OPERATING [      (b)(1) sec 
1.3(a)(4)    ] DETECTORS, [   (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4)   ].

 FOLLOWING THE INITIAL ALARM, EACH UNIT THEN USED
[      (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4)    ] UNITS, [   (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4)  
 ], AND DETERMINED--THROUGH SAMPLING PROTOCOL--THE PRESENCE AND 
LIMITS OF THE CONCENTRATION OF THE AGENT. ONE DETACHMENT ALSO 
COLLECTED AN AIR SAMPLE THAT WAS ANALYZED IN A MOBILE FIELD 
LABORATORY AND DETERMINED TO CONTAIN THE NERVE AGENT SARIN {GB}.
3. THE CONCENTRATION OF SARIN IN THE AIR SAMPLED WAS
DETERMINED THROUGH BASIC SAMPLING PROTOCOLS TO BE BETWEEN 0.05 AND
0.0005 MILLIGRAMS PER CUBIC METER  THE ELAPSED TIME FROM THE 
INITIAL ALARM TO THE ALL CLEAR WAS ABOUT 40 MINUTES  GB IS 
CONSIDERED TO BE A NONPERSISTENT AGENT THAT DISSIPATES IN THE AIR 
IN VARIOUS PERIODS OF TIME.
4. THIS DETECTION OCCURRED DURING A PERIOD IN WHICH NO SCUD
MISSILE LAUNCHES, ARTILLERY EXCHANGES, OR OTHER MILITARY ACTIONS 
WERE OBSERVED BY THE CZECHS IN THE AREA. FURTHER, NO CW DETECTIONS 
WERE REPORTED BY OTHER UNITS IN THIS AREA  THE CZECHS SAW NO 
IDENTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS--SUCH AS EYE, NOSE, OR 
BREATHING PROBLEMS--THAT MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH AN EXPOSURE 
TO THIS CHEMICAL AGENT DOSAGE.
5. THE NEAREST KNOWN IRAQI CW STORAGE OR PRODUCTION
FACILITY WAS SOME 150 KM FROM THE AREA WHERE THE AGENT WAS 
DETECTED
IN ORDER FOR THE DETECTION TO HAVE RESULTED FROM A COLLATERAL 
RELEASE OF GB FROM THIS AREA, LARGE AMOUNTS OF AGENTS WOULD HAVE 
HAD TO BE RELEASED; THESE THEN WOULD HAVE DRIFTED OVER TROOP 
CONCENTRATIONS CAUSING CASUALTIES. OTHER UNITS WOULD HAVE DETECTED 
THE PRESENCE OF AGENTS IN THESE AMOUNTS. NO SUCH EVENTS WERE 
REPORTED.
6. THE CZECHS DID NOT SEE ANY PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT THE
CHEMICAL AGENTS DETECTED WERE THE RESULT OF OFFENSIVE OR HOSTILE
ACTIONS BY IRAQI FORCES  THEY FILED A SITUATION REPORT ON THEIR
DETECTION.
7. ON 24 JANUARY, 5 DAYS AFTER THE DETECTION OF GB AGENT, A
SAUDI LIAISON OFFICER APPROACHED THE 3D CZECH NBC DETACHMENT
SUBORDINATED TO THE SAUDI ROYAL FORCES IN KING KHALID MILITARY 
CITY
AND REQUESTED THAT THEY INVESTIGATE A "SUSPICIOUS" AREA IN THE
DESERT. THE LIAISON OFFICER DIRECTED THE NBC DETACHMENT TO A 
LOCATION A FEW KILOMETERS NORTH-NORTHWEST OF THE CITY  AS THEY 
APPROACHED THE AREA, THE SAUDI ASKED WHETHER THEY SHOULD DON 
PROTECTIVE GEAR, WHICH THEY DID. UPON ARRIVING AT THE SITE, THEY 
FOUND A WET AREA ON THE DESERT FLOOR, MEASURING ABOUT 60 CM BY 200 
CM. THEY TESTED WITH TWO SEPARATE METHODS AND DETERMINED THAT THE 
SOIL WAS CONTAMINATED BY SULPHUR MUSTARD AGENT.
8. CZECH OFFICERS WHO WERE ON THE SCENE SAID THAT NO
MUNITIONS FRAGMENTS, CRATERS, OR OTHER INDICATIONS OF MILITARY
INVOLVEMENT WERE EVIDENT AT THIS SITE. THEY ALSO SAID THERE WERE 
NO
SCUD ALERTS FOR THIS AREA IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THIS FINDING  AFTER
DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OF MUSTARD, THE DETACHMENT LEFT THE AREA 
 A SITUATION REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE SAUDI COMMAND OF THE JOINT 
FORCES NORTH AREA HEADQUARTERS IN KING KHALID MILITARY CITY
9. COMMENT  THE ONLY UNITS THAT DETECTED AND CONFIRMED THE
PRESENCE OF CHEMICAL AGENTS DURING DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM WERE
THE THREE CZECH DETACHMENTS, ALL OF WHICH WERE SUBORDINATED TO THE
JOINT FORCES NORTH AREA UNDER THE COMMAND OF THE ROYAL SAUDI
LIBERATION FORCES. THE DETECTIONS INVOLVED EACH OF THE THREE UNITS
AND OCCURRED WITHIN A SINGLE 5-DAY PERIOD  NO PRIOR OR SUBSEQUENT
DETECTIONS WERE MADE OR CONFIRMED BY THE CZECH DETACHMENTS  AT 
THIS
JUNCTURE, THE FACTS DO NOT TIE ANY KNOWN IRAQI OR COALITION 
OFFENSIVE MILITARY ACTIONS TO THESE CW DETECTIONS.
[   (b)(6)   ][   (b)(2)   ]