Well, it’s not like the New York Times needs a pointer from me, but maybe this article will reduce intonations of “they gassed their own people” (at least without “and we helped” attached):
A covert American program during the Reagan administration provided Iraq with critical battle planning assistance at a time when American intelligence agencies knew that Iraqi commanders would employ chemical weapons in waging the decisive battles of the Iran-Iraq war, according to senior military officers with direct knowledge of the program.