TASK FORCE V LESSONS LEARNED: THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR

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         SUBJECT: TASK FORCE V LESSONS LEARNED: THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR
         APPENDIX B CHEMICALS
         
         DESCRIPTION: LISTS CHEMICALS USED DURING IRAN-IRAQ WAR, EMPLOYMENT
         AND THEIR EFFECTS. NOTE: FIVE PAGES RELEASED.

                                               CHEMICALS (U)
         (U) The Iraqis developed their proficiency in chemical
         weapons gradually during the 8 year war with Iran. They were
         motivated to find a solution to the Iranian human wave infantry
         attacks whose initial impact--like that of the Chinese attacks
         on U.S. forces in Korea--was devastating. The unpredictability
         of the attacks was very demoralizing, but the psychological
         impact on individuals caught up in the insensate violence of
         them was worse. For a psychological parallel in western
         experience one may look to the 1939 Russo-Finnish War, and, in a
         particularly dramatic sense, to German experiences on the
         Eastern Front as conveyed in Guy Sajer's Forgotten Soldier.

         (U) A quick rundown of Iraqi chemical weapons employment
         reveals an initial use in 1982 of CS, a riot agent producing
         massive tears, some skin irritation and some difficulty
         breathing. In this instance surprise was effective in achieving
         extreme disorganization on a tactical level, which in turn
         ruined the operations execution.

        (U) The next reported employment was in July 1983 in the
        (Val Fajr II) fighting near Haj Umran. Here, the Iraqis are
        reported to have employed mustard gas, a persistent blister
        agent which can blind and cause death under "ideal" conditions.
        Its principal use, from world War I to the present, however, is
        not to ki11, but to incapacitate and overburden rear
        services--it is very effective in degrading the performance of
        rear echelon activities as far forward as artillery and command
        and control operations.
        
        (U) In the 1983 employment, the Iraqis used mustard gas
        against an Iranian force which had captured a mountain top
        position. Unfamiliarity with the gas characteristics caused the
        attack to fail. Mustard gas is heavier than air and seeks the
        lowest elevation. The Iraqis discovered this as they attempted
        to counterattack up the mountain only to be met and overwhelmed
        by their own weapon. The next employment showed a rapid -
        learning curve as the Iraqis fired large quantities of mustard
        gas on the attacking Iranians at Penjwin (Val Fajr IV) in
        November 1983. They followed this with a more lethal attack in
        late February (Khaybar I) 1984. Here, they may have used the
        nerve agent, Tabun, although this is less definite. Tabun
        inhibits cholinesterase, an enzyme in the nervous system that
        allows successive nerve endings to connect with each other.
        Once the connection is interrupted, the natural body functions
        cease from lack of required external signals from the brain.
        
        (U) Tabun is a crude agent; however the Iraqis are believed
        to have developed Sarin, a more sophisticated variety that acts