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Posted on 11/15/2005 4:55:30 PM PST by fontoon
Pentagon Used White Phosphorous in Iraq By ROBERT BURNS The Associated Press Tuesday, November 15, 2005; 6:02 PM
WASHINGTON -- Pentagon officials acknowledged Tuesday that U.S. troops used white phosphorous as a weapon against insurgent strongholds during the battle of Fallujah last November. But they denied an Italian television news report that the spontaneously flammable material was used against civilians.
Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said that while white phosphorous is most frequently used to mark targets or obscure a position, it was used at times in Fallujah as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants.
"It was not used against civilians," Venable said.
The spokesman referred reporters to an article in the March-April 2005 edition of the Army's Field Artillery magazine, an official publication, in which veterans of the Fallujah fight spelled out their use of white phosphorous and other weapons. The authors used the shorthand "WP" in referring to white phosphorous.
"WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition," the authors wrote. "We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE (high explosive)" munitions.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When I was in the Army, I was taught that you're not supposed to use WP on personnel, but you could on equipment. Technically WP is against the Hague Conventions on war if used on people, just like other incendiary devices.
This is bad, really bad. If the left ever found out we used rifles in Iraq it's all over.
All kidding aside, the left is only making a big deal over this because they have no idea how to win a war.
Yeah, so what? Use napalm and poison gas for all I care. You don't go to war to lose. People will die and if they are the enemy, so what?
My Dad did two tours and if that is what it takes, so be it.
Smoke screens are not illegal. The issue is with this portion:
"...as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE (high explosive)" munitions."
When a WP 'explodes' it fragments into small pieces that fall to the ground. I think the author was saying these small pieces would fall into the trenches and spider holes. Please note, I'm not criticizing the use of WP as an anti-personnel weapon. In fact, I'm all in favor of it. Never understood why it's ok to blow a guy up or shoot him full of holes or bayoneting him but burning him is somehow wrong.
Yeah...so?
It sticks to your skin while it's burning and you can't get it off. It can be an effective anti-personnel weapon, not unlike napalm. We've been using the stuff since WWII - it's taken until now for the MSM to discover how "horrible" it is.
No, that would be spit balls... per Zell.
White Phosphorus can be pretty nasty stuff when used as a weapon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_incendiary
"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."
Here here. WP or whatever else it takes. Anyone need a glass parking lot for their new Sears store?
Willy Pete may be nasty, but it is not illegal.
USMC, Pacific, WWII.
Flamethrower.
It embeds in the skin and burns right through, like the aliens blood in the movie Alien... and dumping water on it makes it worse!
Touche'....pardon my French....
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