IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (1)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06765411
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: November 20, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00293
• Publication Date: November 20, 1998

Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765411
U IN l, L/AJ Jiritu
(U) IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (1)
Identifiers.
Document Number: JN2011144298
Dates:
Date Published: 20-Nov-1998 14:37:00
Date Received: 20-Nov-1998 09:42:06
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: IRQ
Region: MIDDLEEAST
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
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(U) SERIAL: JN2011144298
(U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 1 OF 5--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (1)
(U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 25 OCT 98 P 11 TEXT:
(U) (PART ONE OF BOOK OF MEMOIRS ENTITLED "FORTY-THREE MISSILES ON THE
ZIONIST ENTITY," BY STAFF LIEUTENANT GENERAL HAZIM 'ABD-AL-RAZZAQ AL-AYYUBI,
COMMANDER OF THE IRAQI SURFACE-TO-SURFACE MISSILES CORPS DURING THE
GULF WAR)
(U) (FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT) DURING THE FIRST GULF WAR, THE DAILY IRAQI MILITARY
COMMUNIQUIS CONTAINED REPETITIOUS TERMS, ESPECIALLY THE ONE THAT SAYS
"OUR PLANES RETURNED SAFELY TO BASE." THIS TERM WAS THE SUBJECT OF
RIDICULE BY SOME WESTERN OBSERVERS WHO SAID "YOU CANNOT WIN A WAR THIS
WAY," MEANING HITTING TARGETS FROM A HIGH ALTITUDE. SO WHEN A WESTERN
JOURNALIST MADE THIS OBSERVATION BEFORE PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSAYN, HE WAS
TOLD: "GIVE ME ANY PROOF THAT THE WAR WILL END TOMORROW AND I WILL THRUST
ALL MY PLANES INTO THE BATTLE." IRAQ KNEW THAT THE WAR WOULD TAKE A LONG
TIME. SO, IT EXPLOITED ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES, INCLUDING OLD TURKISH GUNS,
WHEN ITS STOCKPILE OF WEAPONS BEGAN TO DWINDLE. BUT, THE WAR REVEALED
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE WEAPONS WHICH COULD HIT DEEP INTO ENEMY
TERRITORY. THUS, IRAQ USED ITS COMBAT AIR FORCE EFFICIENTLY IN HITTING
IRANIAN ECONOMIC AND MILITARY TARGETS. BUT THE AIR FORCE ALONE WAS NOT
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SUFFICIENT TO DETERMINE THE BATTLE, SINCE IRAQ HAD NOT INTENDED TO OCCUPY
IRANIAN TERRITORY. FOR THIS REASON, IRAQ DEVELOPED LONG-RANGE MISSILES.
ALTHOUGH THEY CARRIED ONLY CONVENTIONAL WARHEADS, THEIR DESTRUCTIVE
AND MORAL POWER PLAYED A DECISIVE ROLE IN SPEEDING UP THE END OF THE WAR,
AS WAS THE CASE WITH THE US ATOMIC BOMBS ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI,
DESPITE THE BIG DIFFERENCE IN AIMS AND ETHICS. BUT, IRAQ'S ENDEAVOR TO
ACQUIRE EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THIS FIELD HAS BROUGHT UPON IT THE
VENGEANCE OF ISRAEL AND THE WESTERN CAMP, BECAUSE LONG-RANGE MISSILES
MEAN CANCELLATION OF BORDERS. THEY ALSO MEAN AN ARAB COUNTRY HAS BEGUN
TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF TECHNOLOGICAL KNOW-HOW, WHICH WESTERN
STATES REFUSE TO TRANSFER, AS PROVEN BY THE LONG, FUTILE DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE STATES OF THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH. TO STRIKE AT IRAQ'S ENDEAVOR, JUST
AS 'ABD-AL-NASIR'S ENDEAVOR WAS STRUCK IN THE DAYS OF GERMAN SCIENTISTS,
THE CRISIS WITH KUWAIT WAS FABRICATED. HENCE IRAQ'S ENTRY INTO KUWAIT, THE
INTERNATIONAL AND ARAB MILITARY BUILDUP AGAINST IT, AND FINALLY THE
EMBARGO, WHICH HAS BEEN IMPOSED ON ITS PEOPLE FOR EIGHT YEARS, THE
EXTORTION OF THE ARABIAN GULF STATES, THE PEACE AGREEMENTS, AND THE
PRESENT ARAB FRAGMENTATION. AS TO HOW IRAQ USED ITS MISSILE CAPABILITIES
AGAINST NATO WEAPONS, WHICH WERE RESERVED FOR THE FORMER SOVIET UNION,
THESE MEMOIRS BY THE COMMANDER OF THE IRAQI MISSILE CORPS RELATE THE
WHOLE STORY. THEY ARE DAILY MEMOIRS, WHICH STAFF LIEUTENANT GENERAL AL-
AYYUBI HAS RELEASED EXCLUSIVELY TO AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM. THEY ARE MEMOIRS THAT
EVOKE SORROW AND SOMETIMES HOPE. CHAPTER 1: AFTER THE GLORIOUS SADDAM'S
AL-QADISIYAH BATTLE 3 SEPTEMBER 1998 FIGURES AND DATES ARE MY HOBBY. I STILL
RECALL THE DAY WE LAUNCHED AL-HUSAYN MISSILE AFTER A SERIES OF INITIAL
TESTS. IT WAS ON 3 AUGUST 1987. WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY IT WAS! AND WHAT
FESTIVITIES THAT EVENING! IT WAS A REAL FEAST FOR THE FAITHFUL, WHO DEVOTED
THEMSELVES TO THE SERVICE OF THEIR HOMELAND AND TOOK THE NATION'S
ASPIRATIONS AND FUTURE SERIOUSLY. GOD BLESS! WE MOVED AWAY FROM THE SITE.
AND THEN THE MISSILE ROSE WITH A BLAZING TAIL. IT WAS LIKE THE ERUPTION OF A
VOLCANO. GOD IS GREAT. GOD IS GREAT. THE MISSILE SHOT INTO THE HEART OF THE
SKY. AND THE MEN IN THAT DESERT SPOT BEGAN HUGGING ONE ANOTHER. THE
MISSILE HAD COVERED ITS NEW RANGE AND HIT ITS TARGET 650 KILOMETERS AWAY.
GOD IS GREAT, GOD IS GREAT, THE MEN SHOUTED. AND I THOUGHT: THIS IS A VICTORY
FOR SCIENCE IN THIS ANCIENT LAND, AND A FULFILLMENT OF A LONG-AWAITED DREAM
TO DETER OUR ENEMIES. GOD HAS ORDERED US TO PREPARE FOR THEM ALL THE
POWER WE CAN. SO, HERE WE ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT AND PLACING OUR TRUST IN
GOD. 17 OCTOBER 1988 THIS IS UNFORGETTABLE DAY. I WROTE IN MY DIARY: ON THIS
DAY, WHICH CORRESPONDS TO 7 RABI' AL-AWWAL 1409 HEGIRA, I COMPLETED MY 24TH
YEAR OF SERVICE AS OFFICER IN THE IRAQI ARMY. SOON THE MEMORIES
OVERWHELMED ME, LIKE A FLOCK OF BIRDS SWOOPING ON A WATER POOL THEY ARE
MEMORIES OF A PROFESSION WHICH I LIKE VERY MUCH. OR DID I FOLLOW IN THE
STEPS OF MY FATHER, WHO WAS A BRAVE OFFICER; OR MY PATERNAL GRANDFATHER,
MAY GOD REST HIS SOUL IN PEACE, WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR 1 AND DIED IN
ACTION; OR MY OWN BROTHERS, WHO FOLLOWED THE SAME PATH AND TRAINED AS
OFFICERS WHILE REPEATING THE SONG OF PALESTINE. WHERE WAS THAT SONG,
WHICH WE REPORTED SO OFTEN AS YOUNG KIDS? (MORE) 25 OCT THE (b)(3)
TELEPHONE RANG, WAKING ME UP FROM A DEEP REVERIE. THE SPEAKER ON THE END
REMINDED ME OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF STUDYING
THE ZIONIST CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAQ. MY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COMMITTEE
WAS THAT IT WAS ORDERED BY THE PRESIDENT TO STUDY THE POSSIBILITY OF
DETERRING THE ZIONIST ENTITY IF IT CARRIED OUT A MILITARY AGGRESSION AGAINST
IRAQ, AS WAS THE CASE ON 7 JUNE 1981 WHEN IT ATTACKED THE PEACEFUL TAMMUZ
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Collection: FB
Creator:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
Description: (U) None
(b)
Language: eng
Precedence: ROUTINE
Source:
Attributions: SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 25 OCT 98 P 11
Subject: --
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