Reply #14: More on the Spanish Cluster Munitions in Libya.

[joshcryer]

http://cjchivers.com/post/4667042303/more-on-the-spanish-cluster-munitions-in-libya">More on the Spanish Cluster Munitions in Libya.
This is the expended container of a MAT-120 round, fired from a mortar tube, that held 21 high-explosive submunitions scattered onto Misurata, Libya. Evidence of MAT-120 strikes is readily available here in Misurata, where they have been fired repeatedly.

The New York Times first identified these munitions and published information about their use in the Libyan war yesterday. Since then, several readers have asked me on email or on Twitter how these weapons, which Spain itself banned in 2008, came into the possession of the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

This is a very good question. Unfortunately, I can’t turn my attention to this, as much as I would like to. Our brief now is to cover the war here on the ground, and there are not enough hours each day for even that. My hope is that other investigative journalists and or organizations will take on the questions of how the Qaddafi forces’ MAT-120s moved from Spain to here.

Look at the photo above, it shows that this particular round was the third production batch of 2007. Other MAT-120 components from other strikes carried markings saying they were part of the second production batch of the same year.

Direct proof of cluster munitions being used in Misrata against the people.