IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (7)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06765417
• 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 26, 1998

Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765417
U IN UL/AJ J iritu
(U) IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (7)
Identifiers:
Document Number: JN2611064698
Dates:
Date Published: 26-Nov-1998 05:59:00
Date Received: 26-Nov-1998 01:02:41
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: IRQ
Region: MIDDLEEAST
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
UNCLASSIFIED
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(b)(3)
(U) SERIAL: JN2611064698
(U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 1 OF 5--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (7)
(U) REF: 1. JN2511082498 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 5 NOV--IRAQI
COMMANDER 2. MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (6)
(U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13 TEXT:
(U) (PART SEVEN 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) CHAPTER IV: THE BATTLE OF HOPE AND HONOR
(SUBTITLE) 19 JANUARY 1991 (SUBTITLE) I DID NOT SLEEP A SINGLE HOUR FOR THREE
NIGHTS RUNNING. FIRST LIEUTENANT DOCTOR MA'N 'ABD-AL-RAHMAN ADVISED ME TO
HAVE AT LEAST A ONE-HOUR SLEEP OR ELSE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
CONCENTRATE. SOON AFTER I PUT MY HEAD BETWEEN MY HANDS OVER MY PAPERS
ON THE TABLE, I SAW MYSELF CARRYING MY SCHOOL BOOKS AND HURRYING TO THE
FIRST LESSON AT THE SOUND OF THE SCHOOL BELL. THE TEACHER OF CHEMISTRY,
WHO WAS STANDING AT THE DOOR, TOLD ME JOKINGLY: "YOU ARE WALKING AS IF YOU
WERE IN A MILITARY PARADE. HURRY UP. DID NOT YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF THE
BELL?" IN THE CLASS, HE EXPLAINED CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF ACIDS. THE DREAM
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THEN SHIFTED TO ANOTHER PICTURE, AND I FOUND MYSELF HURRYING TO THE
WESTERN REGION. THE MEN WERE WAITING FOR ME TO FIRE THE MISSILES. WHEN I
SAW THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF FIRING, I ORDERED HIM TO OPERATE THE ELECTRIC
SYSTEM. WHEN THE JOB WAS FINISHED, I SHOUTED ONCE AGAIN ORDERING THEM TO
OPEN THE INITIAL FUEL AND OPERATE THE TUBULAR CUSHIONS. THE OPERATOR SAID:
"YES, SIR." I PRESSED THE FIRING BUTTON AND SAID GOD IS GREAT. THE MISSILE
MOVED UPWARD, HISSING AND FILLING THE EARTH WITH A BRIGHT LIGHT. WHEN I
OPENED MY EYES, THE DOCTOR WAS STILL STANDING BESIDE ME. HE ASKED ME
ASTONISHINGLY: "WERE YOU DREAMING, SIR? " I SAID RUBBING MY FOREHEAD: "WHAT
IS THE TIME NOW? " HE SAID: "IT IS EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING." HAVE NOT THEY
FIRED THE MISSILE? THE MISSILE WAS FIRED IN THE DREAM. THE DOCTOR SAID
SMILINGLY: "YOU WERE TRYING TO REALIZE YOUR DESIRE TO DIRECTLY FIRE THE
MISSILE YOURSELF." I SAID: "MAY BE IT WAS A SIGN THAT THE FIRING WOULD
ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE." MOVEMENTS OFFICER CAPTAIN FARIS HAZIM CAME IN AND
SAID: "SIR, THE FIRING WILL TAKE PLACE AT 0815. DO YOU WANT TO HEAR THIS ON THE
TELEPHONE?" I EXCHANGED A MEANINGFUL LOOK WITH THE DOCTOR. THIS IS THE
SECOND STRIKE AGAINST THE ZIONIST ENTITY, GOD BE PRAISED. THE MEN HAD FIRED
TWO MISSILES FROM AN AREA WEST TO KILOMETER 160 AND TWO OTHERS FROM AL-
QA'IM AREA AGAINST TARGETS IN TEL AVIV. BRIGADE 223 THIS TIME PARTICIPATED BY
FIRING ONE MISSILE AND INFORMED US THAT THE ENEMY FIRED 10 MISSILES AT ZONE
5, BUT NO ONE WAS INJURED AS THE MISSILES' SHRAPNEL SCATTERED IN THE
DESERT. IN THE NOON NEWSCAST, I LISTENED TO COMMUNIQUI NO. 7 ON 19 JANUARY
1991 ISSUED BY THE ARMED FORCES GENERAL COMMAND REGARDING OUR SECOND
STRIKE AGAINST THE EVIL FORCES IN THE ZIONIST ENTITY, WHICH THREATENED IRAQ
FOR MONTHS AND WAITED FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO BETRAY IT I HELD A MEETING OF
THE COMMANDERS OF MY GROUP AND THOSE OF THE BRIGADE. I EXPLAINED TO THEM
THE MANEUVERING AND FIRING PLAN, AS WELL AS THE IMPLEMENTATION METHOD IN
DETAIL. TO CLARIFY MY VIEWS, I BROUGHT A BLACKBOARD AND DREW ON IT THE PLAN
AND THE FIRING POSITIONS IN DIFFERENT COLORS. I ALSO SPOKE IN DETAIL TO MAKE
EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAD IN MIND. MOREOVER, I WROTE DOWN MY
INSTRUCTIONS AND HANDED THEM TO THE ORDERS GROUP LATER ON. EACH
COMMANDER DREW A MAP FOR HIMSELF SHOWING ALL DETAILS REGARDING THE
SOUTH, THE WEST, AND THE MIDDLE, AND FIXED ON THEM THE AXES, THE POSITIONS,
THE DISTANCES, THE TIMINGS, THE TARGETS, THE NUMBERS OF THE MISSILES, AND
THE NAMES OF THE EXECUTING COMMANDERS. THE COMMANDERS WERE PLEASED,
AND EACH ONE OF THEM IMPROVED HIS MAP BY STATING THE TIMES OF SHIFTS AT
EACH STAGE. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT I ANALYZED WITH SOME OF MY OFFICERS THE
TARGETS TO BE STRUCK, AS DONE BY TECHNICAL PERSONNEL IN UNITS, SO I COULD
CHOOSE THE FIRING POSITIONS BY MAKING USE OF RECONNAISSANCE INFORMATION
AND MANY OTHER MATTERS TO HELP THE UNITS AND BRIGADES CHOOSE THEIR OWN
FIRING POSITIONS. THIS FACILITATED THE MATTER MUCH. TIRED OF THE SHELTER, I
WENT OUT. THE SKY WAS FULL OF ANTIAIRCRAFT SHELLS, AND I HEARD THE
EXPLOSION OF BOMBS THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT WERE DROPPING OVER BAGHDAD. THEN
I HEARD THE THUG OF SOMETHING HEAVY FALLING ON THE GROUND. THEY MIGHT
HAVE DESTROYED A BRIDGE, DEMOLISHED A BUILDING OVER THE HEADS OF ITS
INMATES, OR SHELLED A MOSQUE. I REMEMBERED MY FAMILY, MY CHILDREN, AND
THEIR MOTHER. MOST OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE AREA HAD LEFT FOR THE
OUTSKIRTS OF BAGHDAD FOR SAFETY, EXCEPT MY FAMILY, WHICH WAS CHALLENGING
THE FIRES OF THE ENEMIES. AT 1800, I CROSSED BAGHDAD STREETS TO MEET
COLONEL 'ABD HAMID MAHMUD, ESCORT OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF. THE MEETING
TOOK PLACE HALF AN HOUR LATER, AND COL. MAHMUD HANDED ME A VERY URGENT
ENVELOPE CONTAINING A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT. THE LETTER DREW
ATTENTION TO AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ISSUE OF PROTECTING OUR CONVOYS AND
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OUR MISSILES FROM SPIES AND ALIENS IN SOUTHERN OR WESTERN IRAQ, WHO MAY
INFILTRATE IN THE COUNTRY, EXPLOITING THE PREOCCUPATION OF OUR UNITS WITH
DEFENDING IRAQ. (MORE) 8 NOV (MORE) END OF MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED(b)(3)
-1. JN2511082498 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 5 NOV--IRAQI COMMANDER
Collection: FB
Creator:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
Description: (U) None
(
b)(3)
Language: eng
Precedence: ROUTINE
Source:
Attributions: SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13
Subject: --
UNCLASSIFIED 4
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