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) ]
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