On the 21st of January, 2005, the Ukrainian MOD published the results of its investigation into the January 9th munitions explosion that killed 8 Ukrainian and 1 Kazakh soldiers in Iraq. This report can be found in Ukrainian at the Ukrainian MOD website here:
http://www.mil.gov.ua/5ombr/index.php?id=news&sid=4717
Because free translation from Ukrainian to English was not found to be available on the Internet, the MOD piece was fed paragraph by paragraph into a Ukrainian to Russian translator located here:
http://pere.slovnyk.org.ua/cgi-bin/pere.cgi?l=uk_UA
(It was necessary to select “Українська ŕ Pocinська” … in order to get the translation to work.) Then each paragraph of the translated Russian was fed into Babel Fish to get its English version. Here is a rough, but serviceable, version of the result:
The commission of the multinational division "Center-South" in the Republic of Iraq promulgated official results of the investigation of the explosion of ammunition, which occurred on 9 January, and as a consequence of which eight Ukrainian and one Kazakhstan peacekeeper perished.
As it already communicated, an official commission was created by order of the commander of the multinational division "Center- South" in the Republic of Iraq for z'yasuvannya to investigate the reasons for the explosion, which occurred on 9 January 2005 in 1634 near As Suwairah city during the neutralization of the iz"yatykh ammunition.
It was headed by the chief of the engineering services of the Polish troops of the multinational division "Center-South", Colonel Andrezej Solarzh. The commission began its work on the spot of the tragedy on 12 January. Its composition also included the fakhіvtsі-saperi Lieutenant Colonel VS Andrey Tulіn of the Ukraine, Major VS Guzmans’s Nurbola of the republic of Kazakhstan, the Senior Lieutenant VS Richard Khlavn of the Slovakian Republic and Ensign Miroslav Nosek of the Polish troops.
On 20 January, the official conclusion of the works of the commission of multinational division "Center-South" was transmitted to the Defense Ministry of the Ukraine.
During the work of the commission the chronological order of the events on 9 January in this year was recreated. The investigation of the commission established the following:
- On 8 January, at 10:30, soldiers of the mechanized patrol from the unit 72-GO of the Separate Mechanized Battalion of the Ukrainian peacemaking contingent transmitted to the tactical-operations center information about the dangerously explosive objects (GNP) that the police stationed in As Suwairah city found on their territory.
- On 9 January, at 09:35, a mechanized patrol from the unit 72-GO of SMB together with the specialists of the individual special field-engineer force VS of the Republic of Kazakhstan traveled to the police station at As Suwairah city.
- On 9 January, from 09:44 to 09:59, all GNP (35 aerial bombs, 8 grenades, 4 artillery projectiles and 2 tank shots) were loaded into vehicles.
- On 9 January, at 10:57, the mechanized patrol 72-GO of SMB together with the group of Kazakhstan field engineers traveled from the city of As Suwairah to the special range for GNP [disposal]. The escort consisted of 2 ZіL-YEY trucks (fakhіvtsі-saperi of the individual special field-engineer force VS of the Republic of Kazakhstan), one URALS 4320 truck (the engineer platoon 72-GO of SMB) and 5 armored carriers and three BTR-80 (mechanized patrol 72-GO of SMB). The commander of the 1st Company of 72-GO of SMB, Captain Valerie Brazhevs'kiy's was appointed commander of the escort.
- On 9 January, at about 11:20, one armored carrier joined the escort at the main gates of the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent’s Camp "Zulu" with a load of pіdrivachіv and garnet, which find on the provisional establishment of ammunition in the Camp "Zulu" for further destruction. The convoy continued motion in the direction of the special range.
- On 9 January, at about 11:30, the escort arrived at the special range for GNP. The specialists of the individual special field-engineer force VS of the Republic of Kazakhstan began unloading ammunition from the vehicles.
- At the same time, the commander of 72-GO of SMB, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Matіzhev, left Camp “Zulu” and headed for the special range. Also with him were the company commander of the supply of material of 72-GO of SMB, Major Igor Kozlov, the senior officer of the department of interaction of 72-GO of SMB, Captain Sergey Andrushchenko, and dіlovod of the department of logistics of 72-GO of SMB, Sergeant Nikolai Shevyakov. They were with three BTR-80s, which took away the ammunition from Camp "Zulu" that had been prepared for neutralization.
- At approximately 11:42 on 9 January, the commander of 72-GO of SMB along with the BTR-80s arrived at the special range. At this time the truck with the GNP was unloaded by the soldiers of the individual special field-engineer force VS of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- From 11:45 on 9 January, the soldiers of the engineer platoon 72-GO of SMB began unloading GNP (14,5 mm of ammunition in the tapes, pіdrivachіv and garnet) from the three BTR-80s and their conclusions on the spot of neutralization. At this time Kazakhstan fakhіvtsі-saperi stopped their work.
- At about 12.00 on 9 January, a sudden explosion sounded.
It was established by investigation that before the explosion all of the GNP, which were brought from the police station at As Suwairah city, and all of the pіdrivachі and 14.5 mm ammunition in the tapes, brought from Camp “Zulu”, was unloaded.
During the inspection of the place of the event after the explosion, a calculation was made of the ammunition that remained. Z'yasuvalosya, absent were 3 grenades HAUG -2 and one y22-mіlіmetroviy projectile, which were brought from the police station of the city of As Suwairah.
The members of the commission established on the spot of the event that after the sudden explosion one aerial bombs and following to the right scattered were reversed outside. Both aircraft bombs have damages in the principal part.
Conclusions of the official commission:
1. Proofs, developed at the site of the event, indicate that the burst center was located from below, between the principal parts of two aircraft bombs.
One of the aircraft bombs was covered by the four artillery shells and eight grenades HAUG -2 delivered from the police station at As Suwairah city. In the predicted burst center was located a y22-mіlіmetroviy artillery shell. This gives to assume that precisely this artillery shell became the source of the explosion and as a consequence, it led to the following detonation of three grenades HAUG -2.
2. The source of the explosion was possibly the y22-mіlіmetroviy artillery shell. The detonation of the grenades HAUG -2 took place from the explosion of the artillery shell. Thus here, the detonation of the y22-mіlіmetrovogo artillery shell led to the spread GNP into the piles and the detonation of grenades HAUG -2, that caused the numerous human victims.
3. Samopіdriv is excluded. [Sabotage?]
During the explosion the prisoners (into the pile) OF GNP not were prepared for the explosion.
4. An accident due to human error is excluded.
On the spot were revealed electronic devices – an hour device, akumulyatorna the battery, the parts of the possible switch, capacitor, battery with the leadership. Studying the revealed devices makes it possible to assume the possibility of undermining by the initiating device.
Taking into account the sizes of the revealed electronic devices, it was possible for them to be installed, together with an initiating charge, inside the y22-mіlіmetrovogo artillery projectile through the opening for the fuse.
5. The only the reason for the initiation of the explosion was a home-made electronic device with a timer, that had been installed inside the y22-mіlіmetrovogo artillery projectile.
Final fact-finding of the commission:
Taking into account all of the above-enumerated facts, the commission draws the conclusion that this was a planned action against the coalition forces and can be examined as new tactics now being employed by the anti-Iraq forces.
[The End]