Incendiary crimes in Fallujah

November 9th, 2005 at 10:01 Björn Hallberg

Would have posted this yesterday because of its urgency but there was a server glitch. Anyway. Also reported by BBC and Daily KOS. As far as I can tell though this is going virtually unreported on the US mainland. Something for next year’s Project Censored perhaps?

Independent - Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack on the city in November 2004, killing insurgents and civilians with the appalling burns that are the signature of this weapon.

Ever since the assault, which went unreported by any Western journalists, rumours have swirled that the Americans used chemical weapons on the city.

On 10 November last year, the Islam Online website wrote: “US troops are reportedly using chemical weapons and poisonous gas in its large-scale offensive on the Iraqi resistance bastion of Fallujah, a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein’s alleged gassing of the Kurds in 1988.”

A few notes since I actually saw the documentary. Firstly, it seems a bit of a stretch at first to call White Phosphorus (WP), also known as “Willy Pete,” a chemical weapon. Traditionally it is not regarded as such (by those that make the weapons and hence the rules). However, considering the toxic effects of massive use and contamination over a populated area this ends up in roughly the same ballpark as Depleted Uranium for instance as far as contamination goes. DU has far more detrimental effects, but both are largely kept secret and undebated and the fallout seems to be a price that the Americans think is worth paying. They always think it’s worth it when someone else is paying.

Unlike Napalm which nowadays only has a limited effect in terms of contamination and actual incendiary effects, WP creates a vapor or rather smoke of phosphoric acids which cause local burns. As such one does not have to be exposed directly to the substance and it can pass relatively freely through clothes, even masks, and get into the respiratory tract, effectively causing blistering and suffocation. Here is just some of the effects noted by Globalsecurity:

White Phosphorus and Red Phosphorus burn to produce a hygroscopic smoke containing phosphoric acids. The extinction for these smokes is primarily due to scattering in the visible and absorption in the infrared (IR). These smokes are composed of spherical liquid particles that grow with relative humidity to an equilibrium size by absorbing ambient moisture that depends on the ambient relative humidity. The mass extinction varies significantly with relative humidity.

White phosphorus burns spontaneously in air. Contact with these particles can cause local burns. These weapons are particularly nasty because white phosphorus continues to burn until it disappears. If service members are hit by pieces of white phosphorus, it could burn right down to the bone. Remove quickly all clothing affected by phosphorus to prevent phosphorus burning through to skin. If this is impossible, plunge skin or clothing affected by phosphorus in cold water or moisten strongly to extinguish or prevent fire. Then immediately remove affected clothing and rinse affected skin areas with cold sodium bicarbonate solution or with cold water. Moisten skin and remove visible phosphorus (preferably under water) with squared object (knife-back etc.) or tweezers. Do not touch phosphorus with fingers! Throw removed phosphorus or clothing affected by phosphorus into water or allow to bum in suitable location. Cover phosphorus burns with moist dressing and keep moist to prevent renewed inflammation. It is necessary to dress white phosphorus-injured patients with saline-soaked dressings to prevent reignition of the phosphorus by contact with the air.

White phosphorus fume is an irritant of the respiratory tract and eyes; the solid in contact with the skin produces deep thermal burns. Exposure to moisture produces phosphoric acid. Prolonged absorption of phosphorus causes necrosis of bones. It is a hepatotoxin.

As for the New Napalm (MK77 mk5) which the US wont call Napalm, it is just a question of euphemisms. In the worst kind of Orwellian fashion as noted already in 2003. And not only that but the US has already lied about using such munitions. So their credibility when it comes to Fallujah is pretty low to begin with.

As for the legality of using incendiary munitions against civilians, it is regulated by Protocol III of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention (CCWC). Not to surprising however, this is another treaty the US never signed. See “Protocol III Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons. Geneva, 10 October 1980″ at Globalsecurity.

Giuliana Segrena is interviewed as well, as she accurately, now it seems, reported the Fallujah story already as it unfolded last year. Of course she was conveniently kidnapped shortly after. She correctly points to the news blackout from the area as the assault took place and the consequences of defying the will of the American butchers.

Images and more images of the atrocity.
Globalsecurity on WP and MK77.

Entry 319 filed under: Weapons Systems. This entry was posted 3 years, 2 months ago. RSS feed for comments on this post.