US Used Cluster Bombs on Yemen Civilians: Amnesty

[IndianaGreen]

Source: Common Dreams

Published on Monday, June 7, 2010 by Agence France Presse

US Used Cluster Bombs on Yemen Civilians: Amnesty

LONDON — A US cruise missile carrying cluster bombs was behind a December attack in Yemen that killed 55 people, most of them civilians, Amnesty International (AI) said on Monday.

<snip>

Yemen's defence ministry had claimed responsibility for the attack without mentioning a US role, saying between 24 and 30 militants had been killed at an alleged Al-Qaeda training camp.

But a local official said 49 civilians, among them 23 children and 17 women, were killed "indiscriminately."

AI said that a Yemeni parliamentary committee reported in February that in addition to 14 alleged Al-Qaeda militants, 41 local residents, including 14 women and 21 children, were killed in the attack.

"The fact that so many of the victims were actually women and children indicates that the attack was in fact grossly irresponsible, particularly given the likely use of cluster munitions," Luther said.

Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/06/07-7

---

Images of missile and cluster munitions point to US role in fatal attack in Yemen

7 June 2010

Amnesty International has released images of a US-manufactured cruise missile that carried cluster munitions, apparently taken following an attack on an alleged al-Qa’ida training camp in Yemen that killed 41 local residents, including 14 women and 21 children.

The 17 December 2009 attack on the community of al-Ma'jalah in the Abyan area in the south of Yemen killed 55 people including 14 alleged members of al-Qa’ida.

“A military strike of this kind against alleged militants without an attempt to detain them is at the very least unlawful. The fact that so many of the victims were actually women and children indicates that the attack was in fact grossly irresponsible, particularly given the likely use of cluster munitions,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/yemen-images-missile-and-cluster-munitions-point-us-role-fatal-attack-2010-06-04

[Chulanowa]

1. Oh, that's okay; they're just Arabs, after all

Not like they're human or something, gigglesnort, gigglesnort.

:sarcasm:

[dipsydoodle]

2. Yup - just brown people.

I cannot express my disgust. I saw the film footage on our tv news here in the UK ealry hours of this morning BST.

France 24 link : http://www.france24.com/en/20100607-us-used-cluster-bombs-yemen-civilians-amnesty

BTW - by "our" tv news I mean the full works inc Al Jazzera, Russia , France etc etc etc.

[Chulanowa]

5. What's it like having real news?

Sounds informative

[dipsydoodle]

10. Got about 15 news channels all told

including some of yours - I just counted them. Some of them I don't even know from which country they actually originate. It's good being able to compare points of view.

:hi:

[madrchsod]

14. we can get world internet news broadcasts..

and most countries have web newspapers in english....i never watch american television news.

[dipsydoodle]

15. world internet news broadcasts.......

can often mean sanitised news.

[The abyss]

3. Thanks for posting Indiana +1

[Soylent Brice]

4. what the hell.

what the hell is wrong with us.
K&R

[polly7]

6. Imagine some poor child without toys spotting this.

I believe the convention against them becomes law in Aug. I hope so ....... they're hideous.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Glad Amnesty Intermantional has mada a statement on this.

It should NOT be allowed to pass without comment, regardless. What a shame it was only last December, too.

We are waiting for our country's actions to be become clean, honorable. What will it take?

[The abyss]

8. “….What will it take”?

I realized something after this last week’s events.


The winds of change are blowing. Nope – it isn’t going to flip over in one day, or one week, or maybe even in another decade.

However, they are changing!

Keep waking ‘em in ones and twos. That is what you and so many others do every day.

Never underestimate the power of your words.

[B Whale]

9. fucking disgusting. If this is proved people should go to jail!

this is mass murder in another's sovereign territory. come on people, lets not let this lie!!!

[Catherina]

11. Murderers. Where is the ICC? n/t

[hack89]

16. The ICC, like the UN, is selective in it's outrage.

they will do nothing.

[Catherina]

19. Truer words were never spoken. How sad n/t

[Mari333]

12. we are the bad guys. knr.

[Mika]

20. How can that possibly be? God is on our side. God founded this nation. God blessed America.

:sarcasm:

---

[KG]

13. the supposed 'war on terror' will never be won with these tactics.

[Violet_Crumble]

17. This is something I haven't seen for a long, long time. A thread where no-one's calling AI liars....

...or insisting it's obsessed with the US, or that it's an Arab-loving bunch of leftist lunatics...

Good on Amnesty International for all the great work they do around the world...

[LynnTheDem]

18. Yet we just can't figure out why they hate us...

Gee.