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Information Paper

U.S. Demolition Operations
at Khamisiyah
  • Khamisiyah was a large, depot size conventional ammunition supply point for the Iraqi army located in southern Iraq. It was approximately 40 square kilometers in size and contained underground and above ground ammunition storage facilities, warehouses, and open storage areas.
  • The principal destruction of the Khamisiyah complex was conducted between March 4 and March 10, 1991, by U.S. Army engineers and explosive ordnance disposal personnel. During that period, soldiers destroyed approximately 100 ammunition bunkers and 80 ammunition storage buildings. Later, Iraq declared that one bunker, Bunker 73, had contained 2,160 rockets filled with chemical warfare agent. In an open-air location outside the Khamisiyah Ammunition Storage Point (ASP) now known as "the Pit," soldiers also set charges to stacks of approximately 1,250 chemical warfare agent-filled rockets.
  • Later, during the period March 15-19, 1991, U.S. Army engineers also destroyed another complex of 400 bunkers located three kilometers southwest of Khamisiyah.
  • During the demolition operations, and, indeed, throughout the entire period of U.S. occupation at Khamisiyah, there were no reports of verified chemical warfare agent detections, nor were there reports of anyone, soldier or civilian, experiencing symptoms consistent with exposure to a chemical warfare agent.
  • In October, 1991, United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) inspectors found evidence of chemical warfare agent rockets destroyed at Khamisiyah. Presidential and Congressional interest in Khamisiyah and the events surrounding it increased in 1994. On June 21, 1996, the Department of Defense confirmed publicly that "U.S. soldiers from the 37th Engineer Battalion destroyed ammunition bunkers at [Khamisiyah] in early March 1991 ... it now appears that one of these destroyed bunkers contained chemical weapons."
  • The early work of the Office of the Special Assistant placed an emphasis on researching U.S. military operations at Khamisiyah. The first Khamisiyah case narrative published on February 21, 1997 provided important insights into what actually took place at Khamisiyah and which U.S. military units were involved. The narrative provided an analysis of how the nerve agent was dispersed by the wind after the weapons were destroyed in "The Pit" on March 10, 1991. It also provided an estimate of the extent to which U.S. troops may have been exposed to chemical warfare agents. The analysis contained in the narrative was the culmination of several broad initiatives, which included multiple computer models of the potential hazard area produced by the explosion, simulated field testing, and interviews with troops present at the demolition.
  • The findings of the narrative indicated that military personnel in the area may have been exposed to a very low level of chemical warfare agent resulting from the demolition of munitions at Khamisiyah. DoD sent notification letters to approximately 99,000 veterans advising them of these findings. While little is known about the delayed effects from this type of low-level exposure, current medical evidence indicates that long term health problems are not likely.
  • Over the next three years, efforts to identify and contact the thousands of soldiers potentially involved intensified. More detailed computer modeling of events took place to determine the size and path of the potential hazard area created by demolition activities in "The Pit." The modeling team completed remodeling the Khamisiyah Pit demolition in January 2000 that resulted in redefined potential hazard areas. A second case narrative was released in December, 2000.
  • DoD identified 100,923 veterans in the potential hazard areas who possibly were exposed to low levels of nerve agent. All veterans believed to be exposed to very low levels of chemical warfare agent were mailed notification letters. That figure reflects the addition of approximately 35,000 veterans who were not previously believed to be in the possible exposure area in the earlier analysis. They were notified for the first time that they may have been exposed to very low levels of chemical warfare agent. It also includes a reduction of about 33,000 others who were thought to be in the exposure area in the earlier analysis. They were notified that new evidence indicates that it is unlikely that they were exposed.
  • Current medical evidence indicates that long term health problems from these levels of nerve agent are unlikely.
  • All Gulf War veterans are eligible for a free, comprehensive medical evaluation. The Department of Defense has established the Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program for Gulf War veterans still on active duty, serving in the Reserves, or retired from military service. Those veterans should call (800) 796-8631 to schedule an appointment. The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a similar program for all other veterans. Veterans should call (800) 749-8387 to schedule an evaluation in that program.
  • More detailed information on Khamisiyah and other research projects of the Office of the Special Assistant can be accessed on the Internet at GulfLINK.