U.S.: Destroy Stockpile of Unsafe Cluster (bomb) Submunitions (HRW.org)

[Up2Late]

(This is a News Release from Human Rights Watch from <http://hrw.org>, but because this is a different format from the normal Press Release, I'll stick to the 4 paragraph rule, more at the links below.)

U.S.: Destroy Stockpile of Unsafe Cluster Submunitions

Pentagon’s Outdated Cluster Submunitions Pose Great Risk to Civilians

(Washington, D.C., July 21, 2005) — Despite some positive developments in its cluster munition policy, the United States retains—and still is willing to use—at least 728 million old, unreliable and inaccurate cluster submunitions, Human Rights Watch said today in a briefing paper.

“The Pentagon should destroy its stockpile of dangerous and outdated cluster submunitions,” said Bonnie Docherty, researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Arms Division. “These submunitions pose great risks to civilian populations and should never be used.”

Cluster munitions are large weapons that usually contain hundreds of smaller submunitions. The U.S military’s current inventory of submunitions, if employed, would leave behind more than 27 million hazardous “duds” even when calculated using the Pentagon’s very conservative dud rates. The duds become de facto antipersonnel mines that can harm civilians even years later.
Any submunitions that are not destroyed must, if technically possible, be drastically modified to improve their accuracy and reliability rate so that they do not put civilians in excessive danger. Human Rights Watch said any technical improvements should be accompanied by changes in U.S. targeting doctrine, most notably a prohibition on use in or around populated areas.

No weapons used by U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq in 2003 caused more civilian casualties than cluster munitions. These weapons pose an immediate danger to civilians during attacks, especially in populated areas, because they are inaccurate and have a wide dispersal pattern. They also endanger civilians long after the conflict due to the high number of submunition duds that do not explode on impact and then function like landmines. “Cluster munitions now stand out as the weapon most in need of stronger national and international regulation to protect civilians during armed conflict,” said Docherty.

<http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/07/21/usdom11363.htm>

(read more at the links above)

[Up2Late]

1. Kick n/t

:kick:

[oneighty]

2. The Mad Mineman of the South Pacific.

He was a friend of mine long ago. He was also an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD). During his efforts to clean up ordnance on an island at the end of WW2 he inadvertanly 'Blew up' some cluster bombs. The bomb-lets known as 'Butterfly bombs' because of the way they fluttered to earth after release from the 'Cluster' had various detonating mechanisms; Contact upon hitting the ground, time delay, and contact by little feets or human hands. One cannot tell by just looking which is which.

He did clean up his mess. I will not say how but he went mad doing it.

Hee hee hee

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