IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06765430
• 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 22, 1998

Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765430
U IN UL/AJ J iritu
(U) IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)
Identifiers:
Document Number: WA2211064198
Dates:
Date Published: 22-Nov-1998 05:39:00
Date Received: 22-Nov-1998 00:42:11
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: IRQ
Region: MIDDLEEAST
(b)(3)
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
(b)(3)
UNCLASSIFIED 1
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(U) SERIAL: WA2211064198
(U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 4 OF 5--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)
(U) REF: JN2211063398 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 /// 13
AUGUST 1990.
(U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 TEXT:
(U) I WAS BUSY FOR A WHILE WITH THE PEOPLE FROM AL-MUTHANNA ENTERPRISE AND
Mb. I THEN HELD A LONG CONFERENCE TO STREAMLINE AND SPECIFY MORE
REQUESTS FROM THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE, THE AIR FORCE AND AIR
DEFENSE COMMAND, AND THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT. 15 AUGUST 1990 I
SUMMONED COLONEL GHANIM AHMAD, DIRECTOR OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF OFFICE,
WHO SAT DOWN AND WROTE THE ORDERS TO BE GIVEN TO BRIGADES 223 AND 224,
THE MISSILE MAINTENANCE COMMAND, AND THE SECURITY SECTION IN THE MISSILE
DIRECTORATE ON THE CONCEALMENT AND PROTECTION OF MISSILE UNITS. THE
ORDERS SAID THAT THE UNITS MUST BE PROTECTED BY CHANGING SHELTERS AND
ASSEMBLY POINTS TO AVOID THEIR DISCOVERY BY SPACE PHOTOS. THEY MUST ALSO
BE COVERED, AND MOVEMENT MUST BE BY NIGHT ONLY. THE ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF
AND HIS ASSISTANT FOR OPERATIONS OFTEN EMPHASIZED THESE MATTERS. SO, WE
PREPARED EVERYTHING THAT WOULD HELP MAINTAIN THE CAMOUFLAGE, SUCH AS
CLOTH MATERIALS, OLD TENTS, AND OTHER CREATIVE MEANS OF CONCEALMENT. 16
AUGUST 1990 I SET UP A MISSILE CONTROL BRANCH FOR OPERATIONAL PURPOSES IN
KUWAIT COMPOSED MAINLY OF PERSONNEL FROM BRIGADE 225 HEADQUARTERS AND
SUPPORT UNITS AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM OUR OWN HEADQUARTERS. THIS
BRANCH WAS FIRST LINKED TO THE REPUBLICAN GUARD COMMAND AND I CALLED IT
OPERATIONAL MISSILE CONTROL CENTER-REPUBLICAN GUARD. LATER, IT BECAME
MISSILE CONTROL CENTER FOR ALL OPERATIONAL MISSILE UNITS IN THE SOUTHERN
SECTORS OF THE SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH ARMY CORPS. THIS
UNCLASSIFIED 2
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STEP WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOLLOWED BY A COORDINATION CENTER FOR FIRE
SUPPORT WHICH WAS SET UP ON 10 SEPTEMBER 1990. 17 AUGUST 1990 THE DEFENSE
MINISTER RECEIVED ME IN HIS OFFICE AND I GAVE HIM A FULL BRIEFING ON THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE MISSILE CORPS ON THE PAST FEW DAYS. I ASKED FOR
MAPS OF THE ARAB STATES WHICH MASSED HOSTILE FORCES AGAINST IRAQ AND ANY
INFORMATION ON TARGETS, EVEN TOURIST MAPS. I WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT
THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE DID NOT KEEP MAPS OR ANY USEFUL
INFORMATION ON THE ARAB STATES CONCERNED. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE ARAB
STATES AND THEREFORE THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR HAS NO MILITARY
INTEREST IN THEM. IT DID NOT EXPECT ANY MILITARY CONFLICT WITH THEM AS IS
HAPPENING NOW FOLLOWING THE STATIONING OF HOSTILE FORCES ON THEIR
TERRITORIES TO THREATEN IRAQ'S SECURITY AND SAFETY. WE WERE GREATLY
RELIEVED, HOWEVER, WHEN THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE INFORMED
US ON 19 AUGUST 1990 THAT IT HAS ITS OWN MEANS TO ALERT US IN GOOD TIME
ABOUT ANY STRIKE BY THE ZIONIST ENTITY SO WE CAN RETALIATE. I ASKED THE AIR
FORCE AND OTHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TO INFORM US IMMEDIATELY ABOUT ANY
AGGRESSION, THEY, IN TURN, ASKED SECRET SERVICE SOURCES TO PROVIDE US
WITH THE RESULTS OF MISSILE STRIKES BY THE ZIONIST ENEMY, JUST AS THEY DID
WHEN WE ATTACKED TARGETS IN IRAN. BUT, THE LITTLE INFORMATION WE HAD ON
THE SOUTH WAS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR FULL PLANNING. I EXPRESSED MY GRATITUDE
TO THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE FOR ITS CONCERN ABOUT OUR
REQUESTS. I SAID I WAS RELIEVED THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE TO ALERT US. MY
WHOLE CONCERN WAS TO GAIN TIME AND FIND SOMEONE WHO COULD GIVE US
INFORMATION TO HELP US RECTIFY OUR STRIKES WHEN THE TIME CAME. 24 AUGUST
1990 WORK HAS PROVED INVIGORATING. HERE I AM ON A HELICOPTER HEADING FOR
KUWAIT. I ONLY HAD ONE HOUR SLEEP. BUT, I MUST NOW INSPECT THE SITES OF OUR
MISSILE UNITS THERE AND TACKLE THEIR PROBLEMS. IRAQI VILLAGES LOOKED
BEAUTIFULLY GREEN FROM ABOVE. AND WHEN THE SCENE BELOW TURNED SUDDENLY
BARREN, I KNEW WE WERE FLYING OVER THE KUWAITI DESERT. 26 AUGUST 1990 WHILE
IN KUWAIT, I VISITED ALL THE MISSILE UNITS UNDER THE COMMAND OF THE
OPERATIONAL MISSILE CONTROL CENTER, WHICH WAS THEN NO LONGER LINKED TO
THE REPUBLICAN GUARD. OUR UNITS THERE CONSISTED OF TWO RA'D (LUNA) MISSILE
BATTALIONS, ONE TARIQ (ASTRAS) BATTERY, TWO METEOROLOGICAL BATTERIES, A
TECHNICAL REPAIR WORKSHOP, A MIXED GROUP FOR TECHNICAL AND
TRANSPORTATION TASKS WHICH THE SECOND AND THIRD OPERATIONAL MISSILE
MAINTENANCE UNITS SENT TO THE HEADQUARTERS OF BRIGADE 225, AND THE
SECOND SPECIAL TASK GROUP FOR CAMOUFLAGE. FOR A SECOND CAMOUFLAGE
GROUP WAS FORMED IN THE SOUTHERN REGION ON 25 AUGUST 1990 SIMILAR TO THE
ONE IN THE WESTERN REGION. THE QUESTION OF PROTECTION WAS ALWAYS IN MY
MIND. SO, I DID NOT OVERLOOK THE NEED TO PROVIDE CAMOUFLAGE FOR OUR
MISSILE UNITS IN KUWAIT ALSO. I SPENT THIS DAY UPDATING THE COORDINATES AND
IMPROVING PLANS FOR MISSILE STRIKES BY CHECKING THE ACCURACY OF
INFORMATION. I EXPLAINED ALL THAT IN A PLAN WHICH CLEARLY POINTS OUT THE
TARGETS FOR FURTHER KNOWLEDGE AND FULL PREPARATION. 28 AUGUST 1990 WHEN
I DISCOVERED THAT OUR UNITS IN THE KUWAITI SECTORS ALSO NEEDED ANTI-
AIRCRAFT SUPPORT AND THAT THIS WAS NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE ARMY, I
IMMEDIATELY OBTAINED TWO ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERIES FROM BATTALION 1039
BELONGING TO BRIGADE 224 AND SECONDED THEM TO THE OPERATIONAL MISSILE
CONTROL CENTER. 30 AUGUST 1990 WE FUELED 10 MISSILES ON 8 AUGUST 1990. IN
THE MEANTIME, ZIONIST THREATS INTENSIFIED. BUT, SINCE THE VALIDITY OF THE FUEL
EXPIRED ON 6 SEPTEMBER, WE HAD TO EMPTY THE MISSILES. (MORE) END OF
MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED 3
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- JN2211063398 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 /// 13 AUGUST
1990.
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 29 OCT 98 P 11
Subject: --
UNCLASSIFIED 4
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