Bioiogical warfare (BW) Associatlon of Abu Ghurayb
Filename:0632rpt.91s
[ (b)(2) ]
[ (b)(2) ]
PASS TO THE ITF OPS OFFICER
09\02\91 0330 SENT BY: [ (b)(6) ]
1. The attached 6 February 1991 Position Paper "Biological
Warfare (BW) Association of Abu Ghurayb "Infant Formula" Plant
has been reviewed for accuracy in light of recent open press
reporting. Information contained in press reports does not
change the assessments presented in the 6 February Position
Paper.
2. [ (b)(6) ]
POSITION PAPER
Subject: Bioiogical warfare (BW) Associatlon of Abu Ghurayb
"Infant Formula" Plant
1. Purpose. To provide the DIA position on the function of the
Abu Ghurayb "Infant Formula" Plant.
2 . (U) Discussion .
a. This plant has been carried as a suspect facllity. It is
not a confirmed BW plant. DIA does, however, have evidence of
its BW connections. The plant was built by a French company,
completed in 1982. It has never been used to produce infant
formula, but has been maintained in mint condition.
b. The plant has several features that do not belong in a baby
formula production plant. Security is very tight --- the
facility is surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. In
December 1990, when war looked imminent, the Iraqis began to
camouflage the plant. If it was merely a baby formula plant,
they could have made it obviously civilian, and DIA'S judgment
about the facility might have been dlfferent.
c. The equipment in the plant reportedly included fifteen
fermentors and high efficiency particulate filters. Fermentors
are for growing microorganisms and not producing infant
formula. High efficiency particulate filters are associated
with the containment of highly infectious microorganisms. The
recently destroyed high containment BW facility at Salman Pak,
for example, also had these types of filters installed.
3. The overall assessment on this plant is that it was
correctly identified as suspect BW facility. Iraq may have
intended it to be a backup plant for their agent production
program. To that end, they took good care of it, but
apparently never used it as an infant formula plant. The
clumsy attempt to place formula around a plant to stage a
media event backfired when the Nestle Company denied they had
any connection to Iraq; Nestle products were shown on the
video.
4. (U) [ (b)(2) ]
Prepared by: [ (b)(6) ]
Research and Technologies Division, [ (b)(2) ]
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