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But behind the intentional use of chemical agents by Iraq lurks a far more sinister story which hitherto has not being told in any detail. Biological weapons, unlike chemical agents, don't just kill on the battlefield: survivors returning home carry with them the potential seeds of destruction. These, in turn, can infect the fami- lies of Gulf War vets—a situation that is now occurring. Importantly, the British and US governments were well aware of the potential use of both chemical and biological weapons by Saddam Hussein. They had, after all, supplied him with the wherewithal to develop his ferocious CB armoury. This included sophisticated equipment together with the necessary chemical pre- cursors and biological cultures. This knowledge led the British and US governments to vacci- nate their troops with a ‘cocktail’ designed to protect them against both chemical and biological attack. Vaccines given to coalition troops included, amongst others, anthrax, botulism and bubonic plague. Cultures for all three were supplied to Iraq by the US Government during the middle/late 1980s for use in Iraq's CB weapons program." But behind the intentional use of chemical agents by Iraq lurks What Angus Parker has revealed is extremely disturbing. The a far more sinister story which hitherto has not being told in any 1st Field Laboratory Unit was composed of 40 men working in detail. Biological weapons, unlike chemical agents, don't just kill eight teams of five. It was deployed from Porton Down, Britain's on the battlefield: survivors returning home carry with them the biological warfare headquarters. Parker, ranked Sergeant, was potential seeds of destruction. These, in turn, can infect the fami- second in command of one of the five-man teams. "As the bio- lies of Gulf War vets—a situation that is now occurring. logical warfare reconnaissance team, we were sampling the envi- Importantly, the British and US governments were well aware —_ ronment looking for biological weapons," he said, adding that of the potential use of both chemical and biological weapons by "this was difficult and hard to do. We could only identify four Saddam Hussein. They had, after all, supplied him with the agents: plague, anthrax, botulism toxin A and B—that's all." The wherewithal to develop his ferocious CB armoury. This included specialised equipment they had to work with to identify bio- sophisticated equipment together with the necessary chemical pre- weapons was not very sophisticated. cursors and biological cultures. Parker has confirmed that his unit found numerous positive This knowledge led the British and US governments to vacci- samples of biological organisms that couldn't be analysed and nate their troops with a ‘cocktail’ designed to protect them against identified on the battlefield. "Many, many more were present" both chemical and biological attack. Vaccines given to coalition than the four they could identify. Positive samples were collected troops included, amongst others, anthrax, botulism and bubonic and shipped in freezer units to Boscombe Down for analysis by plague. Cultures for all three were supplied to Iraq by the US the Porton Down CB specialists. Government during the middle/late 1980s for use in Iraq's CB Significantly, in addition to confirming that his unit positively weapons program." identified the presence of anthrax at Dhahran, Parker also revealed that another team of the Ist Field Laboratory Unit identi- BIO-WEAPONS AND "THE SECRET TEAM" fied the presence of plague at Wadi al Batin. "British personnel were infected with anthrax Angus Parker has tried in vain to get other spores," spoke Angus Parker with quiet certain- members of his unit to come forward and ty. I had interviewed a number of Gulf War speak openly, but they are too scared to do veterans who recounted their experiences of US Marine Corps so. "They're not sick and still have their coming under CB attack from the Iraqis. All jobs," he explained. are angry and frustrated at the stonewalling atti- battlefield logs released Parker is not alone in revealing the use of tude of Britain's Ministry of Defence regarding under the Freedom of biological weapons in the Gulf War. US their numerous illnesses which fall under the A A Marine Corps battlefield logs released under catch-all banner of Gulf War Syndrome. Information Act confirm the Freedom of Information Act confirm the Eventually, one vet gave me a telephone num- the findings of [the UK] findings of Porton Down's "Secret Team". ber, saying, "You should speak to Angus." Porton Down's "Secret On 24 February 1991, the US Army's 513th Initially, Angus Parker was cautious, but Military Intelligence Brigade confirmed the after a few minutes he warmed to his story. Team". use of anthrax at King Khalid Military City." Methodically, he first outlined for me the However, like events in Britain, existing Soviet battlefield doctrine associ- However, like events in important and potentially incriminating ated with Scud missiles armed with spose records have mysteriously gone "miss- chemical and biological weapons. This is Britain, important and ing". Two US Marines at Camp known, Parker said, as "a mixed load". potentially incriminating Pendleton, San Diego, have gone pub- The Scud warhead would typically con- records have lic to say they observed "hundreds of sist of a deathly combination of explo- . records from the Gulf War being sives and chemical and biological agents mysteriously gone destroyed"."° This and numerous other of mixed intensities. The quantity of explosives would be small, but sufficient to ensure that the CB mixture would form a wide vapour plume over the target. A former soldier in the Territorial Army, Angus Parker operated for a top- US BIOLOGICAL ARMS TO IRAQ secret British unit. He has never before A 1994 Senate Report, entitled gone on record with his story, but frustration mixed with growing "Arming Iraq: The Export of Biological Materials and the Health anger has led him to "blow this wide open". of Gulf War Veterans", underscores the biological threat pos- Following the injection of 12 vaccines in one morning, Parker sessed by the Iraqis. More often referred to as "the Riegle suffered an adverse reaction. As a result he was hospitalised and Report", named after its author, Donald J. Riegle, Jr, the Report his deployment to the Gulf delayed. "I was left behind and got _itemises biological cultures supplied to Iraq by the US. Riegle out on the last days of the ground war," he said. This and his and his team identified no less than 61 batches of biologically civilian occupation as a technician in a haematology lab resulted hazardous materials exported to Iraq. "Between the years 1985 in his being attached to the Ist Field Laboratory Unit, known as and 1989, the United States Government approved the sales of "The Secret Team". The unit "existed only once before in World —_ quantities of potentially lethal biological agents that could have War I, but was mothballed until the Gulf War," Parker stated, been cultured and grown in very large quantities in an Iraqi bio- adding that when he returned from the Gulf he was told that "I logical warfare program," Riegle stated. These included patho- was not to disclose the nature or role of the team I was serving genic materials, "which means disease-producing items, and toxi- with". So secret was the unit, he said, that "it does not appear in genic, meaning poisonous items.""’ The Report added that "we any listing".'*"* were not able to get any records prior to 1985". Riegle then "missing’. accounts of records being "destroyed" and going "missing" can only lead to charges of a massive "Gulf-Wargate" cover-up. mysteriously gone "missing". NEXUS © 15 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1997