Bioiogical warfare (BW) Associatlon of Abu Ghurayb

File: 961031_950901_0632rpt_91s.txt
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Bioiogical warfare (BW) Associatlon of Abu Ghurayb

Filename:0632rpt.91s
 [  (b)(2)  ]
 [  (b)(2)  ]
PASS TO THE ITF OPS OFFICER
09\02\91 0330 SENT BY: [   (b)(6)   ]

1. The attached 6 February 1991 Position Paper "Biological 
Warfare (BW) Association of Abu Ghurayb "Infant Formula" Plant 
has been reviewed for accuracy in light of recent open press 
reporting. Information contained in press reports does not 
change the assessments presented in the 6 February Position 
Paper.

2. [   (b)(6)   ]

POSITION PAPER

Subject: Bioiogical warfare (BW) Associatlon of Abu Ghurayb
"Infant Formula" Plant 

1. Purpose. To provide the DIA position on the function of the 
Abu Ghurayb "Infant Formula" Plant.

2 . (U) Discussion .

a. This plant has been carried as a suspect facllity. It is 
not a confirmed BW plant. DIA does, however, have evidence of 
its BW connections. The plant was built by a French company, 
completed in 1982. It has never been used to produce infant 
formula, but has been maintained in mint condition.

b. The plant has several features that do not belong in a baby 
formula production plant. Security is very tight --- the 
facility is surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. In 
December 1990, when war looked imminent, the Iraqis began to 
camouflage the plant. If it was merely a baby formula plant, 
they could have made it obviously civilian, and DIA'S judgment 
about the facility might have been dlfferent.

c. The equipment in the plant reportedly included fifteen 
fermentors and high efficiency particulate filters. Fermentors 
are for growing microorganisms and not producing infant 
formula. High efficiency particulate filters are associated 
with the containment of highly infectious microorganisms. The 
recently destroyed high containment BW facility at Salman Pak, 
for example, also had these types of filters installed.

3. The overall assessment on this plant is that it was 
correctly identified as suspect BW facility. Iraq may have 
intended it to be a backup plant for their agent production 
program. To that end, they took good care of it, but 
apparently never used it as an infant formula plant. The 
clumsy attempt to place formula around a plant to stage a 
media event backfired when the Nestle Company denied they had 
any connection to Iraq; Nestle products were shown on the 
video.

4. (U)  [   (b)(2)   ]

Prepared by: [   (b)(6)   ]

Research and Technologies Division, [   (b)(2)   ]