Name: Al Safir
Other Names: As Safirah, Al-Safir, Safir, Safira, Sfira, Sfire
Location: Latitude 36° 02' North; longitude 37° 21' East; 301km north of Damascus and approximately 30km southeast of Aleppo; province of Halab
Subordinate to: The Syrian Missile Command
Primary Function: Scud base and munitions storage facility; also possibly a chemical weapons production and storage site
Description: It is reported that Al Safir was first established as a chemical weapons site as early as 1980, according to Russian imagery. Subsequent work on an underground tunnel system and Scud support base became known around 1995 and was apparently completed as of July 2002.
The underground and storage areas are protected by a Russian-built SAM-2 battery. Precision-guided munitions guard the tunnel entrances.
Key Sources: John Pike, "Al Safir," GlobalSecurity.org , <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/syria/al-safir.htm>. Accessed on 5 April, 2004.
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Updated August 2004 |
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