Muthana State Establishment
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Muthana State Establishment or Muthanna () (also known for its code-name Project 922 and cover name State Enterprise for Pesticide Production (SEPP)) was Iraq's main chemical weapons research, development, and production facility. It is located in
Saladin Governorate The Saladin, Salah ad Din, or Salah Al-Din Governorate (, ) is one of Iraq's 19 governorates, north of Baghdad. It has an area of , with an estimated population of 1,042,200 people in 2003. It is made up of 8 districts, with the capital being T ...
40 km south west of
Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...
, 140 km north west of
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
. This mega facility covering an area 100 km2, contained three main production areas. The site operated continuously from 1983 to 1991, producing thousands of tons of precursors and chemical warfare agents, including
mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...
,
sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.tabun, and VX. The site was heavily bombed during the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. From 1992 to 1994 the
UNSCOM United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Between 1991 and 19 ...
Chemical Destruction Group operated at this site to eliminate remaining precursor materials, destroy production plants and equipment, and hydrolyse or burn remaining chemical warfare agents. Muthana was also the initial location for Iraq's biological weapons program (1985-1987).


Foundation

Muthana State Establishment was built in the early 1980s under the guise of a pesticide production plant dubbed "The State Enterprise for Pesticide Production" or "SEPP" (its name changed later to Muthana State Establishment). This Iraqi chemical weapon program was assisted by a wide variety of companies and governments, with the largest contributions from
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
. German companies helped Iraq to build Muthana facilities such as laboratories, an administrative building, bunkers in the early 1980s. Other German companies provided Iraq with 1,027 tons of precursors of
mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...
,
sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.tabun, and
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
ses in all. This work allowed Iraq to produce 150 tons of mustard agent and 60 tons of tabun in 1983 and 1984 respectively, continuing throughout the decade.


Production

Between 1981 and 1991, Muthana establishment produced over 3,857 tons of chemical weapons agents part of them has been used against Iranian forces and civilian Kurdish.


Mustard

Production of
mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...
started at 10 tons of agent production in 1981 and increased around 80-100 tons per year until 1985 when the facility produced 350 tons. In 1987 Iraq produced almost 900 tons of mustard agents and 500 tons in 1988.


Tabun

Muthana facility produced between 60 and 80 tons of tabun annually between 1984 and 1986.


Sarin

In 1984 Muthana produced 5 tons of
sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.VX in 1988 before ending production due to the end of the Iran-Iraq War.


Gulf War

Al Muthanna essentially ceased production in December 1990 and refocused resources on dispersing Chemical Weapons stockpiles and equipment for protection against the anticipated bombing campaigns, which started in January 1991. During the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, production laboratories and facilities were destroyed. In addition one storage bunker was destroyed because of secondary explosion, and two others bunkers were severely damaged.


Between 1991 and 2003

Between 1992 and 1994 the Muthana site was the main collection and destruction site for chemical warfare agents, precursor chemicals, and chemical production equipment. Between 1992 and 1994, the
UNSCOM United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Between 1991 and 19 ...
destroyed 30,000 pieces of ordnance, 480,000 liters of chemical agents, and more than 2 million liters of chemical precursors. Eventually, most of the facilities at the complex were destroyed or sold for scrap. Munitions that had been considered unstable and too dangerous for destruction were sealed into barrels and buried in two sealed cruciform bunkers. When the bunkers damaged by coalition airstrikes collapsed, unaccounted Chemical Weapons equipment and munitions were concealed in the debris. After their destruction in coalition airstrikes of February 1991, access to the buildings had been considered impossible due to safety considerations. Nevertheless, UNSCOM decided that it should make a major effort to excavate the site. From 24 February to 10 March 1996, UNSCOM 129B, an international team of 26 inspectors, excavated six sections of buildings at Muthanna and searched a number of other areas and buildings. During this mission, the team discovered and retrieved documents and computer discs. In addition, the team removed some 80 munitions and components, including 122 mm chemical artillery shells and 155 mm "binary" chemical artillery shells.


References

{{Portal bar, Iraq Iraq and weapons of mass destruction Iraqi chemical weapons program Chemical warfare facilities 1983 establishments in Iraq Research institutes in Iraq Saladin Governorate