◆ SpookStack

163I-HQ-1462938 disturbances and to end the "treason." [HUSSEIN interview, March 23, 2004]. 1991 Chemical Weapons Use In the early morning of March 7, 1991, an unidentified Iraqi Government Official requested authority to use “liquids” against rebels in and around An Najaf. Regime forces intended to use the “liquid” to defeat dug in forces ag part of a larger assault. KAMIL, then Director of MIC, ordered senior officials in the CW program to ready CW for use against the revolt. His initial instruction was to use VX. When informed that no VX was available, he ordered mustard be used instead. However, mustard was ruled out because of its detectable persistence and Sarin selected. On or about March 7, 1991, R-400 aerial bombs stored at the Tamuz Airbase were readied for use. Al Muthanna State Establishment (MSE) technicians mixed the two components of the Iraqi “binary” nerve agent system inside the R-400s. Explosive burster charges were loaded into the bombs and the weapons assembled near the runway. Helicopters from nearby bases flew to Tamuz where they were armed with Sarin-laden R-400s and other conventional ordnance. As of March 1991, about a dozen MI-8 helicopters were staged at Tamuz Airbase. The helicopters were used to fly dozens of sorties against Shia rebels in Karbala and the Surrounding areas. A senior participant from the CW program estimates that 10 to 20 R- 400s were dropped. Other reporting suggests as many as 32 R-400s may have been dropped. According to an Iragi helicopter pilot, MI-8 helicopters were also used during the Iran-Iraq war to drop chemical munitions. Following the initial helicopter sorties over Karbala, the Senior Chemical Weapons Program Officer overseeing the operation received an angry call from KAMIL's office. The caller Said the attacks had been unsuccessful and that further measures were required. The R-400s, which are designed for high-speed delivery from higher altitude, likely did not activate properly when dropped from a slow-moving helicopter. As an alternative to the R-400s, the MSE filled large aerial bombs with CS (tear gas). Over the next two weeks, 81