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Iraq's Weapons Program

(BBC) - The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London has prepared an in-depth report on Iraq's current weapons program: Iraq could probably assemble nuclear weapons within months if fissile material from foreign sources were obtained. Iraq probably retained substantial growth media and biological weapons agents (perhaps thousands of liters of anthrax) from pre-1991 stocks. It is capable of resuming production on short notice (weeks) and could have produced thousands of liters of anthrax, botulinium, and other agents since 1998. Iraq probably retained a few hundred tons of mustard agent and precursors for a few hundred tons of sarin/cyclosarin and perhaps similar amounts of VX from pre-1991 stocks. It is capable of resuming chemical weapons production on short notice (months) and could have produced hundreds of tons of agent (mustard and nerve agents) since 1998. Iraq probably retained a small force of 650km (al-Hussein) missiles, perhaps around a dozen missiles. It is capable of manufacturing rudimentary chemical/biological weapons warheads. Iraq is capable of delivering chemical/ biological weapons in various impact-fuse tactical munitions (artillery shells, rockets, aerial bombs). It is capable of delivering biological weapons with simple airborne wet spray devices; a small inventory of modern strike aircraft with 750km combat radius; some ground attack aircraft, helicopters, possible unmanned aerial vehicles based on trainer aircraft.
2002-09-10 00:00:00
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