US Using Cluster Bombs In Iraq

[chlamor]

The United States is engaged in an all out massacre in Iraq. As the death toll mounts more information comes forth about napalm (a slightly different version, the Mark 77 firebomb) being used. It is known that Depleted Uranium munitions are being used. Also being used are cluster munitions of which many will remain scattered and unexploded to be the curse for future generations. What will remain for the children of Iraq? It is time for us all to actively engage to bring an end to this madness. These are war crimes
The United States should not be using these weapons. Iraqi civilians will be paying the price with their lives and limbs for many years. A report from Human Rights Watch:



Steve Goose
Executive Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch

While use of the weapon has not yet been confirmed by official U.S. military sources, it is evident from television images and stories from reporters embedded with U.S. units that U.S. forces are using artillery projectiles and rockets containing large numbers of submunitions, or cluster munitions. When these submunitions fail to explode on impact as designed, they become hazardous explosive "duds"—functioning like volatile, indiscriminate antipersonnel landmines.

Human Rights Watch has identified footage of the use of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) by artillery units of the 3rd Infantry Division. This is a system that currently uses only submunition payloads. The 1st Battalion of the 39th Field Artillery Regiment of the division deploys at least eighteen MLRS launch units.

<snip>

The standard M26 warhead for the MLRS contains 644 M77 individual submunitions (also called dual-purpose grenades). According to a Department of Defense report submitted to the U.S. Congress in February 2000, these submunitions have a failure rate of 16 percent. Thus, the typical volley of twelve MLRS rockets would likely result in more than 1,200 dud submunitions scattered randomly in a 120,000 to 240,000 square meter impact area.

Human Rights Watch has also seen video of U.S. Marine artillery units supporting the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion using 155mm artillery firing projectiles at Iraqi positions; an embedded reporter described "hundreds of grenades" being fired at the Iraqis. These were apparently the M483A1 and M864 projectiles whose submunitions (dual-purpose grenades) have a 14 percent dud rate. The M483A1 projectile contains eighty-eight dual-purpose grenades, and the M864 projectile contains seventy-two dual-purpose grenades.

http://hrw.org/press/2003/04/us040103.htm

[Padraig18]

1. Yes, they were using them in 2003, just like it says in the link.

The question is, are they using them today?

[chlamor]

2. Further Questions

How do we actively engage to stop the war criminals in the White House/Pentagon?

What are our obligations as citizens in light of these atrocities?