Middle East Chemical Weapons in Iraq: Revealing the Pentagon’s Long-Held Secrets For nearly a decade, the United States government kept secret that troops were being injured as they stumbled across aged chemical weapons that Saddam Hussein had built for his war with Iran. Explore the original Times investigation, eyewitness accounts from victims and the developments that led to the Pentagon’s response, policy changes and follow-up care. Investigation The Secret Casualties of Iraq’s Abandoned Chemical Weapons By C.J. Chivers|Oct. 14, 2014 Mosul Kirkuk Locations where chemical munitions were found Syria Tikrit Compound Spider Areas under full control of the Islamic State as of November Balad Al Muthanna Baquba Camp Taji Falluja Baghdad SYRIAN DESERT Iran Iraq Najaf Amara Sources: Wikileaks and reporting by the New York Times (chemical munition locations); Institute for the Study of War (Islamic State area of control) Nasiriya Basra SAUDI ARABIA Kuwait During the Iraq war, at least 17 American service members and seven Iraqi police officers were exposed to aging chemical weapons abandoned years earlier. These weapons were not part of an active arsenal. They were remnants from Iraq’s arms program in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war. Many troops who were exposed received inadequate care. None of the veterans were enrolled in long-term health monitoring. Munitions are unaccounted for in areas of Iraq now under control of ISIS. Read the Story » Documentary Chemical Secrets of the Iraq War By Mac William Bishop and C.J. Chivers Participants and victims of this secret chapter of the Iraq war discuss exposure to chemical weapons. Results The Pentagon created a toll-free hotline to report potential exposure and seek medical screening. As of March 2015, 544 people had called the hotline to report being exposed. In late 2014, the Pentagon formed a group, led by Brad R. Carson, under secretary of the Army, to identify service members potentially exposed to chemical weapons and screen them for care. The group issued guidelines this month that also cover troops exposed to chlorine. Mr. Carson apologized for the military’s mishandling of past cases. The group acknowledged that the Pentagon had previously been notified that more than 800 American troops believed they were exposed, but the Pentagon failed to follow up thoroughly. The services agreed to consider Purple Hearts for those exposed to makeshift bombs made from chemical weapons. Based on this, the Army approved a medal for former Specialist Richard Beasley.