Information on Iraq's Biological Warfare Program
Filename:008me.93d
12 November 1993
To: Dr. John Deutch, Under secretary of Defense for
Acquisitions
From: [ (b)(6) ] Armed Forces Medical Intelligence
Subject: Information on Iraq's Biological Warfare Program
1. Prior to the Gulf War, Iraq was assessed to have a
mature biological warfare (BW) program centered at the Salman Pak
BW Facility. Agents assessed to have been produced and weaponized
were botulinum toxin; Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of
-anthrax; and Clostridium -perfrincens, the causative agent of gas
gangrene. Agents suspected to he of interest to the Iraqis were
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague; Vibrio cholerae,
Brucella species; a Rickettsia; and staphylococcal enterotoxins.
Munitions available for BW delivery were missile warheads, aerial
bombs, and commercial spray devices.
2. The Salman Pak BW facility was assessed to be the
primary facility in the Iraqi BW program. other facilities were
the Taji suspect BW facility; Abu Ghurayb BW Production facility
Al
Kindi; Abu Ghurayb Suspect BW facility; the Latifiyah suspect BW
facility, and the Baghdad Nuclear Research center at Tuwaitha.
Additional information on these facilities can be found in the
attached documents.
3. During Desert Shield, several BW facilities were
targeted for bombing (See Appendix I). Approximate dates of
bombing are given in Appendix II. A map depicting site locations
can be found in Enclosure l, page 2.
4. In addition to the confirmed and suspect production
facilities listed above, a storage site at the Salman Pak BW
Facility was bombed. The construction characteristics of the
Salman Pak storage bunkers were used to locate several additional
bunkers throughout the country which may have been air-conditioned
or cooled indicating suitability for BW agent storage. These
sites
were listed as suspect BW storage facilities on the basis of their
construction similarities to the Salman Pak BW storage Facility.
several of these sites were also bombed. (See Enclosure 1, page
21
and page 25.
5. A list of salman. Pak BW targets and bomb damage
assessment (BDA) is in Enclosure l, page 18.
6. No standardized biological warfare agents are known to
produce brain tumors or other neoplasms. In general, carcinogenic
substances require many months or years to produce tumors.
Because
of this delayed reaction, they are not regarded as useful for
biological warfare.
7. After the war, [ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ]
Further evidence that BW agents or
munitions were not present during allied bombing is the fact that
no credible reporting of Iraqi disease or illness consistent with
BW agent exposure, was received after the bombing. [ (b)(1)
sec 1.3(a)(4) ]
Enclosures:
-Enclosure 1, The Iraqi Offensive Biological Warfare Program:
Before, During and After the Gulf War
Enclosure 2, Iraqi BW Capabilities , DDX-l610-8-91
Enclosure 3, The Status of Iraq's Facilities to Produce Weapons of
Mass Destruction: A preliminary Post-War Assessment SW 91-
10011.
Enclosure 4, Iraq's Potential for chemical and Biological Warfare
[ (b)(2) ]
APPENDIX I
Salman Pak BW Facility
33-19-26N/O44-10-22E
R&D, Storage and Production (Bacillus anthracis, botulinum toxin,
Clostridium perfringens)
Taji Suspect BW Production Facility
33-33-16n/044-17-46E
Possible site of anthrax spore production
Abu Ghurayb Vaccine Plant, Al Kindi
33-l8-28N/044-15-49E
Probable site of botulinum toxin production
Latifiyah
33-0O-56n/044-l3-l7E
Possible Production (agent unknown)
Abu Ghura-yb Suspect BW Facility.
33-19-26N/044-10-22E
Possible Production and Munition filling
Note: The Iraqis reportedly were not successful in filling
artillery shells with BW agents at this site.
APPENDIX II
BW TARGETS ATTACKED DURING DESERT STORM
Facility Geo Coords
Date
Salman Pak BW Research and Production (#) 3350N 04348E
1/17
Abu Ghurayb Suspect BW Production 3319N 04410E'
1/23
Abu Ghurayb BW Product ion 3318N 04412E
2/3*
Taji Suspect BW Storage 3330N 04414E
- 2/10*
Taji Suspect BW Production 3333N 04418£
2/8*
Latifiyah Suspect BW Production 3301N 04413E
2/8*
KEY:
(#) Multiple Targets, Multiple Attack Dates
* Approximate date of attack
Note: 12-Frame Storage Bunkers bombed are denoted on DIA list
"CBW
Targets Attacked During Desert Storm" furnished to Dr. Deutch's
office by [ (b)(6) ]
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