1991-1997: Iraq Destroys Thousands of Chemical Munitions

An array of Iraqi chemical weapons. [Source: CIA] (click image to enlarge)Under the supervision of UNSCOM weapons inspectors, Iraq destroys more than 38,000 filled and unfilled chemical munitions, 690 tons of chemical warfare agents, over 3,000 tons of precursor chemicals, more than 400 pieces of production equipment [United Nations Special Commission, 4/16/1998] , 48 missiles, 8 mobile missile launchers, and 29 missile warheads modified to carry chemical or biological agents. [United Nations Special Commission, 1/29/1998] After cross-referencing weapons-making materials found in Iraq with sales records from other countries, UNSCOM inspectors conclude that at least 90 percent of Iraq’s weapons have been destroyed or dismantled. Chief UNSCOM inspector Scott Ritter believes that a good portion of the remaining 10 percent was destroyed during the First Gulf War, thus leaving only a small fraction unaccounted for. [Truthout (.org), 7/24/2002; Newsday, 7/30/2002]