IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (5)

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
06765415
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
December 28, 2022
Document Release Date: 
November 20, 2018
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-2018-00293
Publication Date: 
November 25, 1998
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PDF icon iraqi commander memoirs o[15518737].pdf134.67 KB
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Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 U IN UL/AJ J iritu (U) IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (5) Identifiers: Document Number: JN2511081498 (b)(3) (b)(3) Dates: Date Published: 25-Nov-1998 07:27:00 Date Received: 25-Nov-1998 02:29:50 Coverage: CIA Country Code: IRQ Region: MIDDLEEAST Publisher: Agency Acronym: RESTON VA Office Name: FBIS (b)(3) UNCLASSIFIED 1 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 U IN UL/AJ J iritu (b)(3) (U) SERIAL: JN2511081498 (U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 1 OF 7--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (5) (U) REF: JN2311082098 AND ADDS AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM ARABIC 2 NOV -- IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (4) (U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 3 NOV 98 P 11 TEXT: (U) (PART FIVE OF BOOK OF MEMOIRS ENTITLED "FORTY-THREE MISSILES ON THE ZIONIST ENTITY," BY LIEUTENANT GENERAL HAZIM 'ABD-AL-RAZZAQ AL-AYYUBI, COMMANDER OF THE IRAQI SURFACE-TO-SURFACE MISSILE CORPS DURING THE GULF WAR) UNCLASSIFIED 2 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 U IN l, L/AJ Jiritu (U) (FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT) CHAPTER III: CALL DAY (3) (SUBTITLE) 15 DECEMBER 1990 (SUBTITLE) FOR ME, THAT WAS A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER; I HAD THE HONOR TO MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT, AN OCCURRENCE THAT I ENTERED IN MY DIARY. THE MEETING TOOK PLACE ON 28 JUMADA AL-AWWAL, 1411 HEJIRAH. I RETURNED TO MY RESIDENCE ELATED AT HAVING MET WITH THE PRESIDENT. THE LONGEST-SERVING STAFF OFFICER HAD HANDED ME AN ENVELOPE FROM THE DIRECTORATE OF THE GENERAL MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. THE ENVELOPE CONTAINED A SHEET LISTING THE NATIONAL HOLIDAYS ON THE CALENDAR OF THE ZIONIST ENTITY FOR THE YEAR 1991. IT HAD BEEN A PRACTICE OF MINE TO ENLIST SUCH DATA ON IRAN AND THE ZIONIST ENTITY SO THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE MINDFUL OF THE DAYS THAT COULD SEE EITHER OF THE TWO NATIONS CONTRIVE A CRISIS. BOTH TIME WHATEVER MISCHIEF THEY MAY WANT TO CREATE FOR THE ARABS IN GENERAL, AND IRAQ IN PARTICULAR, TO COINCIDE WITH SUCH OCCASIONS. I HAD OBTAINED CLEARANCE FROM THE PRESIDENT TO RETURN THE ROCKETS THAT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DEPLOYED IN THE OPEN TO A NUMBER OF HANGARS TO SHIELD THEM FROM RAIN AS WINTER WAS AT HAND. ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE TO SECURE ADDITIONAL HANGARS. 25 DECEMBER 1990 (SUBTITLE) I TRAVELED TO AL-NAKHIB, THE AREA DESIGNATED FOR THE TESTS, THEIR DATE HAVING BEEN AMENDED. WE WERE DETERMINED THAT THE TESTS TAKE PLACE, DESPITE OUR KNOWLEDGE THAT THE ENEMY HAD COMPLETED THEIR CONCENTRATIONS ON SAUDI TERRITORY. AT THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE TEST, I FLEW TO UMM QASR TO CONDUCT ANOTHER IN THE SERIES OF TESTS ON "AL-ABBAS" ROCKET AND IRAQI- MADE LAUNCHERS (QADHIFAT), AND THE TEST LAUNCH TOOK PLACE LATE ON THE 28TH DAY OF DECEMBER. THE OFFICERS AND OTHER RANKS IN THE ROCKET TEST CREWS WERE WORKING FLAT OUT TO GET THE EXPERIMENTS DONE SUCCESSFULLY. IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO GO INTO CULTIVATED OR UNINHABITED AREAS TO SET UP BASES OR TO LOOK FOR ROCKET WRECKS THERE. ON THAT PARTICULAR OCCASION, TWO OFFICERS WENT TO SURVEY FOR A SUITABLE SITE. THEY WERE MET BY A MIDDLE AGED MAN, WHO WAS A TRIBAL CHIEF AND WHO, AT FINDING OUT WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT, FETED THEM AND SLAUGHTERED THREE SHEEP IN THEIR HONOR. 1 JANUARY 1991 (SUBTITLE) I ENTERED IN MY DIARY THE ADVENT OF A NEW GREGORIAN YEAR, THE FIRST DAY OF WHICH CORRESPONDED WITH THE 15TH DAY OF THE HEJIRAH MONTH OF JUMADA AL-AKHIRAH. HE SPENT THAT NIGHT IN THE SOUTH WHERE IRAQI MILITARY UNITS WERE DEPLOYED. HE SHARED WITH OUR FIGHTERS THERE A BANQUET, THE INGREDIENTS OF WHICH HE HIMSELF HAD PREPARED. EVERYONE HAD A GOOD TIME IN HIS COMPANY AND FELT THAT HAVING CONSUMED FOOD BROUGHT AND PREPARED BY HIM PERSONALLY, THEY HAD VIRTUALLY MADE A PROMISE; NAMELY TO GAIN THE UPPER HAND ON THE BATTLEFRONT AND, WITH GOD'S WILL, BEAT OFF THE AGGRESSORS. 6 JANUARY 1991 (SUBTITLE) ON THE DAY MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE VALIANT ARMY OF IRAQ, THE POLITICAL GUIDANCE STAFF HAD PREPARED THE PARAPHERNALIA FOR THE CELEBRATIONS TO OBSERVE THAT GLORIOUS DAY: IRAQI FLAGS, COLORED STRIPS OF PAPER, AND A LOCAL RADIO STATION PUTTING ON SONGS OF VICTORY AND POWER. OUR VALIANT MILITARY HAD NOW COME OF AGE, HAVING ATTAINED SUPREME LEVELS OF CAPABILITY AND STRENGTH AND EXPERIENCE SPANNING 70 YEARS OF HARD AND SUSTAINED WORK THAT BEGAN IN 1921. I HAD PICTURED OUR ARMY AS A FORMIDABLE FORCE WELL PREPARED TO TAKE ON THE MOST MASSIVE MILITARY BUILDUP HISTORY HAD EVER KNOWN. OH VALIANT GIANT: YOU WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE ARMY OF ARABISM AND PRINCIPLES ON YOUR IMMORTAL DAY. 17 JANUARY 1991 (SUBTITLE) A DAY CRAMMED FULL OF WORK. AT 0930 I RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY AND FROM HIS ASSISTANT FOR OPERATIONS EXPLAINING THE EVIL DESIGNS OF THE FOREIGN FORCES THAT HAD MASSED ON SAUDI TERRITORY AND ORDERING THAT NO LEAVE BE GIVEN TO ANY MEMBER OF OUR UNITS AS OF 12 JANUARY 1991. AT 1000 I HELD A CONFERENCE WITH THE COMMANDERS OF BRIGADES UNCLASSIFIED 3 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 U IN UL/AJ J iritu 223 AND 224 TO ISSUE MY INSTRUCTIONS AS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE MISSIONS. AFTERWARDS I CHECKED TO SEE HOW THINGS WERE GOING AT BRIGADE 225 AND HOW FAR ALONG THE MANEUVER PLAN WAS IN THE SECOND BATTALION. I LATER AGAIN CALLED ON THE COMMANDERS OF BRIGADES 223 AND 224 AND BROUGHT INTO THE SESSION THE COMMANDER OF THE MAINTENANCE UNIT AND STAFF FROM THE MILITARY INDUSTRIALIZATION TO BRIEF THEM ON THE SPECIAL AMMUNITION. I HAD REPEATEDLY SOUGHT ADDITIONAL SPECIAL GUIDANCE EQUIPMENT TO BOOST OUR BOMBER POTENTIAL AND COULD FIND NO MORE THAN FOUR PIECES. (MORE) 3 NOV 8 JANUARY 1991 (SUBTITLE) AT 1000 SHARP TODAY, I RECEIVED SPECIFIC (b)(3) INSTRUCTIONS FROM HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT TIMED 1800 THE PREVIOUS DAY ABOUT THE SPECIAL WEAPONS OR THE SPECIAL WARHEADS AS WE CALLED THEM. THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE CONVEYED COURTESY OF STAFF LIEUTENANT GENERAL 'ALA' AL-JANABI, THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL COMMAND OF THE ARMED FORCES SPELLING OUT HOW TO COORDINATE WITH THE OFFICIAL IN CHARGE OF MILITARY INDUSTRIALIZATION CONCERNING THE SPECIAL WARHEADS SO THAT EACH WOULD BE READY TO USE THE MOMENT A PERTINENT ORDER IS GIVEN OR IN THE EVENT OF A MASSIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ. OUR WARHEADS WOULD BE LAUNCHED AT SPECIFIC ENEMY TARGETS WHEREVER THESE MAY BE, SINCE THE AMERICANS COULD LAUNCH MASSIVE STRIKES. THE PRESIDENTIAL ORDER ALSO DIRECTED THAT THE GENERAL MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE SHARE WITH US INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF ENEMY CONCENTRATIONS IN THE ARENAS CLOSE TO IRAQ. (MORE) END OF MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED - JN2311082098 AND ADDS AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM ARABIC 2 NOV -- IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (4) Collection: FB Creator: Agency Acronym: RESTON VA Office Name: FBIS Description: (U) None (b) 3) UNCLASSIFIED Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 4 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415 U IN UL/AJ J iritu (b) Language: eng Precedence: ROUTINE Source: Attributions: SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 3 NOV 98 P 11 Subject: -- UNCLASSIFIED 5 Approved for Release: 2018/10/09 C06765415