It is thought that on the eve of the Gulf war, the anthrax in Iraq's possession was sufficient to annihilate tens of millions of people. Yet, Iraq did not use it, no doubt because the retaliation would have been overpowering. The bulletin notes that in 1992 smallpox spread among Iraqi sheep, especially in the central regions where the biological laboratories are located. Hundreds of sheep were destroyed, despite efforts by veterinarians to save them. It is clear that the virus affected sheep, but not humans or other animals.
Experts say that the epidemic was associated with programs related to biological research.
Unlike the case with chemical weapons, where there is an international convention with 169 signatories, no such convention related to biological weapons exists. A report from California Polytechnic Institute says that UN inspectors were astonished when they found in Iraq advanced facilities studying anthrax, botulism, brucellosis, tularemia and gas gangrene organisms. In addition, a variety of aerial delivery systems had been developed. Work with biological weapons is easy to cover up. The area is a good staging point for PKK actions, because Syria is to the west, the Kurdish areas to the east, and Turkey to the north.