Operation Avarice

Operation Avarice
Part of the Iraq War
Date 2005-2006 Location Iraq Result Iraqi chemical weapons taken off black market and destroyed
Belligerents
Military Intelligence Corps, Central Intelligence Agency, Army Chemical Defense unit, and explosive ordnance disposal units

Operation Avarice was a clandestine U.S. military operation taking place from 2005 - 2006 involving the purchase of chemical weapons from an undisclosed source in Iraq. The operation ensured that Iraqi weapons did not fall into the hands of insurgents, terrorists, or any other militant groups. The rockets were the remnants of a 1980s weapons program that Iraqi abandoned after the first Gulf War, and were acquired by an unnamed individual who had intended to sell them on the black-market before United States military intelligence obtained them.

Background

Main article: Iraq and weapons of mass destruction

Iranian soldier wearing a gas mask during the Iran-Iraq war

Iran-Iraq war

In 1980, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Iraq had been actively acquiring chemical weapons for years, which was later proven true. In November 1980, in the beginning of the Iran–Iraq War, the use of chemical weapons was reported by Tehran radio who claimed a poison gas attack was made by Iraqi forces. The United Nations reported similar attacks the following year, leading Iran to retaliate with mustard gas. By 1984, Iranian "human wave" attacks were being combated by the extensive use of chemical weapons.

In 1984 the CIA provided intelligence to the Iraqi army on optimal targets for chemical weapons strikes. That same year, UN experts concluded with certainty that Iraq used chemical weapons during wartime. Post-war Iranian estimates are that around 100,000 people were affected, of whom about one in ten died before receiving treatment. While most of these occurred during the Iran-Iraq war, there was at least one instance of the Iraqi military using them against Kurds. On March 21, 1986 the United Nations recognized that "chemical weapons on many occasions have been used by Iraqi forces against Iranian forces"

Gulf War

After the conclusion of the Gulf War, Iraq was forbidden from developing, possessing or using chemical, biological and nuclear weapons by mandate. Also forbidden by the treaty were missiles with a range of longer than 150 kilometres. The UN Special Commission on weapons (UNSCOM) was commissioned to make weapons inspections in Iraq, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was commissioned to verify the destruction of Iraq's nuclear program.

In 2002 Saddam Hussein invited UN inspectors to Iraq, and the UN Security Council subsequently issued Resolution 1441 authorizing new inspections in Iraq. The United States claimed that Iraq still had materials and munitions for chemical weapons unaccounted for in their disclosures to the UN, while the Iraqis claimed all such munitions were destroyed. According to reports from the previous UN inspection agency, UNSCOM, Iraq had an unaccounted for 600 metric tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, VX and sarin, and nearly 25,000 rockets and 15,000 artillery shells.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

U.S. Army personnel patrolling near graves of Kurds killed in 1988 chemical strike

In 2003 the invasion of Iraq commenced, with unaccounted weapons of mass destruction considered a substantial justification for war. Throughout the occupation, coalition forces were alleged to have failed in identifying any stockpiles of WMD's, leading to major media criticisms of the operation and of the Bush administration.

Throughout the occupation, there were instances where minor evidence was uncovered of WMDs, although the vast majority shown to the public suggested Iraq lacked competent weapons capabilities to be characterized as "WMDs". Coalition forces were increasingly worried by the presence of WMD components on the regional black market.

Despite the media's official reports that no concealed chemical weapon stockpiles had been located during the invasion and occupation, illicit ordnance was discovered at different times and in various states of decay. The United States government feared that these weapons would fall into the hands of insurgents or terrorists.

In September 2005, an unnamed Iraqi provided U.S. military intelligence with a single Borak missile containing chemical agents, prompting an effort to locate more.

Operation

That same year, the CIA collaborated with the Army Intelligence Corps in contacting an unnamed Iraqi individual who had knowledge and possession of all chemicals WMD stockpiles and munitions in Iraq. The operation was classified from the public and from most of the armed forces. In addition, chemical specialists and ordnance disposal units were assigned to the task to aid in the destruction of recovered WMDs.

It is unknown who the individual is who held possession of the weapons, and how they had come into possession. Nonetheless, they cooperated with U.S. intelligence measures and sold all known chemical WMDs to the units heading Operation Avarice. As a result, the CIA and Army intelligence acquired over 400 rockets, missiles, and other chemical weapons in varying states of operation.

The unnamed Iraqi individual periodically notified the CIA's Baghdad headquarters when they had additional weapons to sell. The sales varied in size, with the largest tradeoff being for 150 separate rockets containing chemical agents. Chemical and demolitions experts then destroyed the weapons. Some of the weapons analyzed indicated a concentration of nerve agents far higher than military intelligence had initially expected Iraq held the capabilities to formulate, with the highest "agent purity of up to 25 percent for recovered unitary sarin weapons", which was considered highly lethal and dangerous.

The mission resulted in the largest recovery of chemical weapons during the Iraq war. It was confirmed that these weapons were remnants of the Iraqi weapons program first developed during the Iran-Iraq war and confirmed that the Hussein government had failed to dismantle and dispose WMDs in its possession. The collaboration between American military intelligence and the unnamed Iraqi proprietor resulted in minimal attacks on U.S. military and coalition personnel or Iraqi citizenry from WMDs on a scale seen during the Iran-Iraq war, although minor attacks still occurred.

The identity of the Iraqi seller was never ascertained, but there were several theories that he was an official of either the former or current Iraqi government, or perhaps a front for the Iraqi government. The source never revealed where the supply originated from, although it is speculated they came from the city of Amarah, which was used as a forward base against Iranian forces during the 1980s.

Military intelligence experienced some difficulty during the mission. At least once the undisclosed seller attempted to sell weapons with fake chemical components. In addition, he once "called the intel guys to tell them he was going to turn [WMDs] over to the insurgents" unless he was paid immediately. However, the mission was overall considered a success for both nonproliferation and for minimizing risk exposure for military personnel on the ground in Iraq.

Operation Avarice remained classified for security reasons until 2015. Retired Lieutenant General Richard P. Zahner, the former highest-ranking army intelligence officer in Iraq, praised the operation for having "neutralized what could have become an arsenal used against the US and its allies".