IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (7)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06765446
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: November 20, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00293
• Publication Date: November 26, 1998

(U) IRAQI COMMANDERAPpTc7feg -6005429
Identifiers:
Document Number: WA2611065998
Dates:
Date Published: 26-Nov-1998 05:59:00
Date Received: 26-Nov-1998 01:02:51
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: IRQ
Region: MIDDLEEAST
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
UNCLASSIFIED 1
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(b)(3)
(U) SERIAL: WA2611065998
(U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 2 OF 5--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (7)
(U) REF: JN2611064698 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13 /// 8 NOV
(U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13 TEXT:
(U) AFTER I RECEIVED THE INSTRUCTIONS, THE PRESIDENT CAME AND EXPLAINED
THEM TO ME TO MAKE SURE THAT I FULLY UNDERSTOOD THEM. I SAID TO HIM: "IN
COORDINATION WITH THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, WE WILL ASK SPECIAL UNITS TO
ACCOMPANY THE MISSILE CONVOYS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CITIES." MY MEETING WITH
HIS EXCELLENCY UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES DEEPLY IMPRESSED ME. I WAS
ANXIOUS ABOUT HIM MINUTES AGO WHILE I WAS CROSSING BAGHDAD STREETS
UNDER A CEASELESS BOMBING, BUT MY MEETING WITH HIM GAVE ME A GREAT PEACE
OF MIND AND I FELT THAT WHAT I HAD SEEN OF DESTRUCTION WAS A BACKGROUND
OF A GREAT WAR IN WHICH I PLAYED THE ROLE OF A FIELD COMMANDER MEETING THE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN A RARE HISTORIC MOMENT. IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT
INDEED FOR ME TO MEET THE ARMED FORCES COMMANDER IN CHIEF FOR THE FIRST
TIME SINCE THE FIRST STRIKE AGAINST THE ZIONIST ENTITY, AND AMID A POLITICAL,
MEDIA, AND MILITARY BATTLE, IN WHICH A NEW INCIDENT TAKES PLACE EVERY
MOMENT. HE TALKED TO ME ABOUT THE MISSILE CORPS, AS IF HE HAD BEEN WITH US
AT THE HEADQUARTERS AND WITH THE EXECUTION GROUPS PRESSING MISSILE
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BUTTONS DEEP IN THE DESERTA-
pp. io-v.e.d I4e I e-a-se":-2-01871-6-/Ogeb76-5Z146M SURE, AS
USUAL, THAT YOU WILL DO YOUR JOB IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE, AND HE WHO FIRES
THE LARGEST NUMBER OF MISSILES AT THE ENEMIES AND PRESERVES HIS
EQUIPMENT WILL BE HONORED." I WAS WITH THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF, CARRYING A
GROUP OF MAPS PERTAINING TO MY WORK AND WEARING A KHAKI WOOLEN UNIFORM.
THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE MEN, MEANING THE FIGHTER
SOLDIERS, WHO BORE THE BURDEN OF WAR. I SAID: "THEY ARE IN GOOD SHAPE, SIR."
HE THEN SMILED AND SHOOK HANDS WITH ME. WHEN I SALUTED HIM, HE EMBRACED
ME AND SAID: "GIVE THEM MY REGARDS." HE WAS NEAT, OPTIMISTIC, AND STRONG IN
SPITE OF HIS GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES, AS IF CRISES HAD MADE HIM MORE BRILLIANT
AND WORK HARDER. AFTER RETURNING FROM MY MEETING WITH THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF, I WORKED FOR THREE DAYS, COORDINATING THE REQUIRED SECURITY
INSTRUCTIONS, WHICH THE PRESIDENT HAD RECOMMENDED. 20 JANUARY 1991
(SUBTITLE) ON THE NIGHT OF 19 JANUARY, THE ENEMY LAUNCHED INTENSIVE AIR
RAIDS ON THE UNITS OF THE FIRST COMMANDOS BRIGADE OF THE 4TH ARMY CORPS,
WHICH WAS USED FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MISSILE LAUNCHING PADS. THE AIR
RAIDS CONCENTRATED ON THE FIRST REGIMENT OF THE BRIGADE. THE FIRST AIR RAID
LASTED FOR HALF AN HOUR AFTER MIDNIGHT AND THE SECOND RAID STARTED AT
0500 ON 20 JANUARY AND LASTED FOR 15 MINUTES. THE THIRD RAID STARTED AT 0700
IN THE MORNING AND LASTED FOR 27 MINUTES. THE AIR RAIDS RESULTED IN THE FALL
OF ONE MARTYR SOLDIER. OUR UNITS SAID THAT 1,800 BOMBS HAD BEEN DROPPED
BUT THAT NO DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO OUR EQUIPMENT BECAUSE OF EFFECTIVE
CAMOUFLAGE AND PROTECTION. AT 0100, I ISSUED WRITTEN ORDERS TO FIVE
HEADQUARTERS FOR STRIKES AND MANEUVERS. THE ORDERS WERE INFORMED TO
THE COMMANDERS OF MISSILE BRIGADE 224, MISSILE BRIGADE 223, THE TECHNICAL
CONTROL BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224, THE FIRST MISSILE MAINTENANCE UNIT, AND
THE SECOND BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224. A SIXTH UNIT, SCHEDULED TO RETURN
EARLY TO THE WESTERN REGION TO CARRY OUT AN OPERATION ON THE NIGHT OF 21
JANUARY, WAS ALSO TO BE BRIEFED ON THE SITUATION. UNDER THE 20 JANUARY
PLAN, TWO BATTALIONS OF BRIGADE 224 WOULD USE SIX LAUNCHERS IN AL-
RUMAYLAH AND SAFWAN AREAS TO STRIKE AGAINST ENEMY TARGETS IN RIYADH
FROM THE FIRING POSITIONS. THE PLAN ALSO INCLUDED STRIKING AGAINST HOSTILE
TARGETS IN DHAHRAN AND AL-DAMMAM FROM THREE FIRING POSITIONS BY TWO
BATTERIES FROM BRIGADE 224 AND TWO BATTALIONS FROM BRIGADE 223 UNDER THE
COMMAND OF THE LATTER BRIGADE. THE TWO BATTALIONS WERE ALSO EQUIPPED
WITH FOUR LAUNCHERS IN FIRING POSITIONS IN AL-QURNAH AREA IN AL-BASRAH. THE
SECOND BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224 WITHOUT A BATTERY HAD TO TAKE UP A
POSITION IN THE CITY OF AL-'AMARAH IN MAYSAN GOVERNORATE TO STRIKE AGAINST
HOSTILE TARGETS IN AL-JUBAYL. (MORE) 8 NOV UNDER THE PLAN, WE ALSO (b)(3)
WOULD SEND TWO TECHNICAL BATTERIES FROM BRIGADES 223 AND 224 IN
COORDINATION WITH THE COMMANDER OF THE FIRST MISSILE MAINTENANCE UNIT, AS
THE LATTER DIRECTLY RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM OUR HEADQUARTERS ON THE
USE OF MISSILE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES. ONLY ONE TECHNICAL BATTERY FROM
THE TECHNICAL BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224 WOULD REMAIN IN AL-RAMADI, AL-ANBAR
GOVERNORATE. THE FIRING WAS SCHEDULED FOR 2100 ON 20 JANUARY 1991. THE
TARGETS' COORDINATES WERE CLEARLY DEFINED. MY PLAN FOR THE NIGHT OF 21
JANUARY WAS THE SAME AS THAT OF 20 JANUARY WITH THE FOLLOWING
DIFFERENCES: FOUR LAUNCHERS FROM BRIGADE 223 WOULD BE TASKED WITH
STRIKING HOSTILE TARGETS IN DHAHRAN AND THE BUQAYQ COMPOUND FROM THREE
FIRING POSITIONS. THE SECOND BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224 WITH A BATTERY, THAT
IS, FOUR LAUNCHERS, WOULD RETURN QUICKLY AFTER IMPLEMENTATION TO THE AL-
QA'IM AREA AND THE AREA WEST TO KILOMETER 106. IN OTHER WORDS, THE UNIT
WOULD BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, AS WE DID IN THE SOUTH ON 20 JANUARY, BUT
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AT TWO INTERDISTANT AXES TrAr3p7c;;;71 f(7)77 ii/09-65676.5-44-6 WITH A
POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING AGAINST TEL AVIV WITH THREE MISSILES AND HAIFA WITH
ONE MISSILE IF THE LAST BATTERY HAD NOT ENOUGH TIME. THE COMMANDER OF THE
SECOND BATTALION OF BRIGADE 224 WOULD BE AT HIS AL-QA'IM AXIS HEADQUARTERS
AND HIS ASSISTANT WOULD BE AT AL-RATBAH AXIS HEADQUARTERS. I STRESSED THE
NEED FOR EFFECTIVE PROTECTION FOR BOTH PLANS, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE
TWO AXES OF THE WESTERN REGION. I ALSO STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF
CONCEALMENT AND CAMOUFLAGE. I CLEARLY DEFINED THE COORDINATES FOR THE
NIGHT OF 21 JANUARY OPERATION AND DECIDED TO CARRY OUT THE OPERATION AT
0500 ON 22 JANUARY. (MORE) END OF MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED
- JN2611064698 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13 /// 8 NOV
Collection: FB
Creator:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
Description: (U) None
Language: eng
Precedence: ROUTINE
UNCLASSIFIED
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Source:
Attributions: SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 8 NOV 98 P 13
Subject: --
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