IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06765428
• 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 C06765428
U IN UL/AJ J iritu
(U) IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)
Identifiers:
Document Number: WA2211064098
Dates:
Date Published: 22-Nov-1998 05:39:00
Date Received: 22-Nov-1998 00:42:11
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: IRQ
Region: MIDDLEEAST
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: RESTON VA
Office Name: FBIS
(b)(3)
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(U) SERIAL: WA2211064098
(U) COUNTRY: IRAQ SUBJ: TAKE 3 OF 5--IRAQI COMMANDER MEMOIRS ON MISSILES (3)
(U) REF: JN2211063398 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 /// COVERS
AND NETS.
(U) SOURCE: AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 TEXT:
(U) THE FIRST RAYS OF SUNBLIGHT PENETRATED MY ROOM. LIEUTENANT DR. MA'AN
'ABD-AL-RAHMAN, THE RESIDENT DOCTOR AT THE MISSILE DIRECTORATE, CAME IN.
AND THE MOMENT HE GLANCED AT MY FACE, HE SAID: YOUR ARE TIRED, SIR. YOU
MUST HAVE SOME SLEEP. I LAID DOWN IN MY MILITARY UNIFORM IN AN ADJOINING
ROOM AND WAS SOON SOUND ASLEEP AND DREAMING. I DREAMED I WAS TAKING PART
IN A CONCEALMENT AND PROTECTION OPERATION WITH OTHER FIGHTERS IN THE
WESTERN REGION. 13 AUGUST 1990 I SENT A REPORT ON MISSILE DEPLOYMENT AND
TARGET ANALYSIS TO THE PRESIDENT. IT CONTAINED AN ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC
ENEMY TARGETS AND A COMPARISON BETWEEN OUR VIEWPOINT AND THAT OF OTHER
EXPERTS. I TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THE QUALITY OF OUR WEAPONS, THE
POSSIBILITY OF SCORING DIRECT HITS, AND OUR CAPABILITIES AND CONDITIONS AT
THE TIME. I REFERRED TO WHAT I BELIEVED WAS THE MOST SUITABLE TARGET AND
PROPOSED DIRECTING A COLLECTIVE STRIKE BY 10 MISSILES ON THIS TARGET. BUT, I
ALSO SAID THERE WAS ANOTHER LESS IMPORTANT TARGET WHICH MUST NOT BE
OVERLOOKED. SO, I PROPOSED DIRECTING A COLLECTIVE STRIKE AT BOTH TARGETS
SIMULTANEOUSLY. I EXPLAINED THE UNITS UNDER MY CONTROL, INCLUDING THE
MISSILE BATTERIES. WE HAD A COMMANDO BRIGADE, TWO ANTI-AIRCRAFT
BATTALIONS, AND AN ENGINEERING COMPANY. THEY WERE ALL IN THE WESTERN
REGION. ALL THE LAUNCHERS ALSO WERE IN THE SAME REGION AND AIMED IN THE
DIRECTION OF THE ZIONIST ENTITY. I ALSO EXPLAINED THE MISSILE RESERVE AND THE
PLACES OF THEIR DISPERSION AND CONCEALMENT. MY REPORT INCLUDED THE MOST
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SUITABLE LAUNCHING SITES, BUT ALSO REFERRED TO THE NEED FOR MORE UPDATED
MAPS. I CONCLUDED MY REPORT BY ASSESSING OUR POSITION AS FAR AS
PREPARATION TIME WAS CONCERNED. I SAID THAT WE NEED 18 HOURS AT THE
MINIMUM. BUT, IF WE HIT THE ZIONIST ENTITY AND THEN RETURN TO THE SOUTH, WE
WILL NEED 30 HOURS. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE NEED TWO DAYS IF WE USE NIGHT
HOURS ONLY, AND THAT THERE WILL BE AN INTERVAL OF 10 HOURS BETWEEN ONE
STRIKE AND ANOTHER. THE PRESIDENT REMARKED ON THE REPORT AS FOLLOWS:
"THE DIRECTOR OF THE MISSILE CORPS SHOULD BE GIVEN ALL HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
HIS POSITION." THE PRESIDENT ALSO INSTRUCTED THAT THE TWO TARGETS I
SELECTED BE ADDED TO THE ONES PREVIOUSLY SELECTED IN THE ZIONIST ENTITY,
PROVIDED GOOD PREPARATIONS WERE MADE. AS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, HE SAID,
THIS WILL TAKE PLACE UNDER A SUBSEQUENT ORDER, DEPENDING ON THE
DEVELOPMENTS OF THE SITUATION. WE MUST NOT TRY TO MANEUVER WITH THE
LAUNCHERS PRESENTLY, AS THIS WILL AFFECT OUR ABILITY WHEN PREPARING THEM
TO RESPOND TO ISRAEL, THE PRESIDENT CONCLUDED. 14 AUGUST 1990 ANOTHER
GREAT GESTURE BY THE PRESIDENT WAS HIS DIRECTIVE TO THE DEFENSE MINISTER
AND THE DIRECTOR OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TO PROVIDE ME WITH WHATEVER I
NEEDED TO IMPROVE MY POSITION. IN THE MEANTIME, I CONTINUED MY
COORDINATION WITH THE AIR FORCE AND AIR DEFENSE COMMAND TO OBTAIN AIR
PHOTOS OF CERTAIN TARGETS. I ALSO REQUESTED INFORMATION ABOUT ANY ZIONIST
ATTACK OR THAT THE ENEMY HAD DISCOVERED OUR LAUNCHING SITES SO WE COULD
KEEP THEM SAFE AND SOUND. I ALSO COMMUNICATED WITH THE SECOND AND THIRD
AIR DEFENSE SECTORS IN THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN SECTORS. AT THE SAME
TIME, WE CONTINUED TO COORDINATE TASKS WITH THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
DIRECTORATE IN THE AREAS WHERE OUR UNITS WERE DEPLOYED. WE ASKED THE
DIRECTORATE FOR MORE AIR PHOTOS, INFORMATION, AND TOURIST MAPS SO WE
COULD BENEFIT FROM THEM IN UPDATING THE MAPS WITH THE MILITARY SURVEY
DIRECTORATE. THE SHAPE OF THE TARGET, AND NOT JUST ITS SIZE, IS IMPORTANT IN
DETERMINING THE ACCURACY OF THE STRIKE. SO, I NEEDED TOURIST MAPS FOR THIS
PURPOSE. IN IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ORDER BY THE PRESIDENT, THE OPERATIONS
DEPARTMENT INQUIRED ABOUT OUR NEEDS. I SAID THAT OUR NEEDS ARE AS
FOLLOWS:
(U) 1. UPDATING MAPS OF THE LANDS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US.
(U) 2. REPLACING THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTALION 588, WHICH WAS SECONDED TO US,
BY A MORE INTEGRATED ONE.
(U) 3. PROVIDING SEVERAL DRILLING MACHINES (SHOVELS) AND CRANES.
(U) 4. INSURING TELEPHONE LINES IN CERTAIN AREAS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ.
(U) WE WERE IN A HURRY, WHILE THE MILITARY SURVEY DIRECTORATE WAS SLOW. I
ALSO NOTICED THAT THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE WAS JUST AS SLOW
IN PROVIDING US WITH THE INFORMATION WE WANTED. ON THIS DAY ALSO, I ISSUED
SPECIFIC WORKING PLANS FOR THE SPECIAL (CHEMICAL) WARHEADS IN
COORDINATION WITH AL-MUTHANNA ENTERPRISE. I SAID THAT STORAGE AND
PREPARATION WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FIRST MAINTENANCE UNIT. I HAD
TO GIVE CLEAR AND PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS, BUT ALSO IN GREAT SECRECY, AND
DEFER OTHER TOPICS TO A LATER STAGE. IT WAS ANOTHER EVENTFUL DAY AS 11
AUGUST 1990. SOME OF THE THINGS WE ACCOMPLISHED ON THIS DAY WERE MOVING
THE SECOND MISSILE BATTALION, A BATTERY FROM TARIQ (ASTRAS) BATTALION OF
BRIGADE 226, AND A MIXED GROUP FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION FROM
MASHRU' AL-MUSAYYIB SUB-DISTRICT TO KUWAIT. I OBTAINED THE RESULTS OF THE
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RECONNAISSANCE WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE THIRD GROUP. IT CHOSE SITES
IN AL-JABAYISH, SUQ AL-SHUYUKH, AL'AZIZ, AND QAL'AT SALIN ACCORDING TO MY
RECOMMENDATIONS ON 13 AUGUST 1990. (MORE) END OF MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED
- JN2211063398 AMMAN AL-'ARAB AL-YAWM IN ARABIC 29 OCT 98 P 11 /// COVERS AND
NETS.
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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