The US Use of White Phosphorus Shells in Fallujah: Revisited
Hat tip to ChickenYoghurt for turning up this harrowing documentary about the assult on Fallujah, and drawing attention to the indiscriminate use of White Phosphorus shells by US forces, with our support, against a largely civillian population.
Hang on a mo, isn't that one of the post war justifications for the war on Iraq... using chemical weapons against civillians...
Well, white phosphorus shells aren't strictly chemical weapons, and as wikipedia points out, they are not banned by any treaty. But this is to miss the point...
Also consider 'Napalm Lite' [or the Mark 77 Firebomb], as deployed in Iraq. This essentially Napalm, which is banned. Not quite Napalm though, because the propellant has been switched from gasoline to jetfuel: Think Napalm Lite.
So, as it isn't Napalm, it isn't banned by the UN. [Not that the US signed up to the ban anyway, prefering to reserve their right to do this.]
But the US use of Napalm in Iraq is another story...
The information about the use of White Phosphorus shells was in the public domain at the time [November 2004], I know because Quarsan found the story, and I followed up.
Raed reported it, the Washington Post reported it, the San Fransisco Chronicle reported it, the International Herald Tribune reported it.
One reason the American press covered it was because the story leaked out when the US accidentaly shelled their own troops, with white phosphorus shells. This level of accuracy makes a mockery of any claims that their use was targeted [as if that justifies it].
If they can't miss their own troops ...!?
I would hazard a guess however, that many of our readers are not aware of our use of these weapons against a civillian population. Because the UK media refused to touch the story.
I spoke to the BBC, Channel4 and ITV about this, they all said they 'would look into it'. I spoke to a telegraph reporter, just back from being embedded in Iraq, he said he knew about it, but his paper wouldn't touch it.
After Question Time I spoke to Claire Short about it, and while she was prepared to say in conversation that the attack Fallujah constituted a war crime, she didn't know about the white phosphorus, and would look into it. I tried speaking to George Osbourne about it, but he wouldn't say anything about it because he was too busy posing for photos with a bunch of besuited Young Conservatives.
I forget now which newpapers and media organisations I emailled the story too [it was an ISP and a hard disk format ago so I don't have a record], but none of them reported it.
Maybe, now it's 'on telly' they might consider running the story.
For the record, here are Quarsan's and my posts on the subject from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, November 2004.
Doubtless the Coalition governments will deny the indiscriminate use of Chemical weapons against a civillian population in Fallujah, as Q blogged yesterday.
Ashley Gilbertson for the New York Times provides some futher evidence (photos). The precision targeting of the US is so precise, they managed to drop some white phosphorus shells on their own troops.
The Washington Post Foreign Service also report the use of these munitions...
Some artillery guns fired white phosphorous rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water. Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns.
Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, said, "The corpses of the mujaheddin which we received were burned, and some corpses were melted."
Raed also reports the use of these munitions, and one of the comments describes the effects of being on the recieving end of one of these shells...
Some more on the longer term environmental impact of the use of white phosphorus from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
And finally, the description of being on the close end of one of these things going off, from a vietnam vet...
"I had half of my face and my right ear burned completely away. I had blood spurting from an open artery in my right hand and I could see my heart beating in my chest."
The phosphorus continued to burn as he was being treated, he continued.
"When the medics put me on the stretcher initially I burned through the stretcher and fell on my head when I hit the ground."
Wrapping him in a blanket soaked in river water, he was finally loaded in the helicopter.
So how can the coalition (the idiot son and Bliar) justify chucking these things at city with a remaining civillian population of anywhere between 30,000 and 150,000 people still in it? And if, as the coalition claim, over half the poulation have left town, THEN WHERE ARE THEY. Half the population is 150,000 people, and if 90% of the population have fled, then that still leaves 30,000 in town and 270,000 people milling around somewhere. And why is nobody asking about this?
Please call the channel 4 newsdesk comments line, and ask them to cover the white phosphorus angle. If you ring this number, 020 783 33000 you will either get put through to the comments answerphone, or directly to someone on the newsdesk depending on how busy they are. It is worth it, unlike the BBC (Bliar Broadcasting Corp), C4 do listen to, respond and acknowlege the comments they get. But if you are feeling optimistic, you have to go via the switchboard for the Beeb, and the number is 0870 010 0222.
posted by ringverse at 16:09
Some artillery guns fired white phosphorous rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water. Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns.
Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, said, "The corpses of the mujahedeen which we received were burned, and some corpses were melted."
I bet New Labour is feeling proud of itself. I feel sick, we've descended to Saddam's level.
posted by quarsan at 13:33
White phosphorous (or 'Willy
White phosphorous (or 'Willy Pete'in the jargon)is quite different to traditional Vietnam era Naplam. WP floats in pieces, almost like the ash from burning paper; Naplam is more of a runny jelly. The former is best for open spaces, the latter for trenches and bunkers. Same effect - water doesn't put it out and it burns into the flesh - but different stuff IMHO. The RAF used WP a lot in WW2.
If anyone fancies a go you can make a very good Napalm substitute from ordinary petrol mixed with old fashioned soap powder flakes - apparently 'Tide' is the best brand; put in a canister, add a detonator and ...
Coming soon; how to make anti personel mines from the contents of your kitchen cupboard. (Yes, really).
Oh, and talking of Fallujah,
Oh, and talking of Fallujah, why is there so little information about the Fallujah 2 going on in Husayba, a town full of 'suspected insurgents' apparently out near the Syrian border?
"The US military gave no information on civilian casualties but the IRCS said that 31 people had died and at least 44 had been injured.
"There were reports that cluster bombs had been used, and that 4,000 people had fled the area. On Sunday the US said there were 450 civilian evacuees."
House to house clearing is a great way to win hearts and minds in the Sunni areas...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4413014.stm
And today, the BBC is
And today, the BBC is reporting on it - indirectly...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/4417024.stm
the truth about this
the truth about this documentary is on:http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/
Not "the truth", but an
Not "the truth", but an attempt to counter the point... There is a slightly better attempt here:
People can spend all the time they want picking holes in the specifics of a doumentary. But it doesn't justify the indiscriminate use of White Phosphorus shells in an area with an unknown civillian population.
Had Saddam or any other 'brutal dictator' used such munitions in similar circumstances, they would have been (quite rightly) slammed by those so quick to defend our use of white phosphorus.
Or do you think would we be inundated with the pro war right running around shouting 'its ok', because 'it doesn't burn'...
Correction,
Correction,
The paragaph about the use of Napalm in Iraq has been corrected.
I had written:
"White Phosphorus, as deployed in Iraq"
where I had intended to say:
"Napalm Lite , as deployed in Iraq".
I hope my error was obvious as it was in a section discussing napalm, not WP, and that it didn't confuse.
Thanks to the guys at opendemocracy for pointing it out.
Chris Floyd of the Moscow
Chris Floyd of the Moscow Times has extensive Fallujah coverage with a lot of rare video footage, images, links and a powerful article at his Fallujah page