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UN fears yellow US bomblets resemble food packets
Reuters | Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Posted on 04/02/2003 10:24:45 AM PST by JohnHuang2

UN fears yellow US bomblets resemble food packets

UNITED NATIONS, April 2 (Reuters) - The U.N. children's fund UNICEF expressed concern on Wednesday that Iraqi children might mistake yellow food packets being handed out by U.S.-led forces with small bombs with identical coloring.

"Confusing unexploded ordinance with food places children at huge risk of injury or death," UNICEF said, calling on the military to urgently change the color of the food packets.

A UNICEF statement said food packets known as "humanitarian daily rations" that were being handed out by the U.S. and British forces in Iraq were covered in a bright yellow plastic wrap.

The color of the wrapping was identical to that of an air-dropped bomblet that UNICEF identified as a BLU 97.

A similar problem had arisen during the war in Afghanistan, where the U.S. military eventually changed the wrapping on food packets to blue, the U.N. agency said.

In Afghanistan, both the food packets and the bomblets were dropped from U.S. aircraft while in Iraq only the bomblets were being air-dropped. But children can still confuse the ration and unexploded ordinance, because of their identical coloring, UNICEF warned.


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Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Quote of the Day by The Wizard

1 posted on 04/02/2003 10:24:45 AM PST by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2
US Fears Yellow UN Mistaken For Organization That Matters
2 posted on 04/02/2003 10:26:35 AM PST by wideawake (Support our troops and their Commander-in-Chief)
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To: wideawake
There's a joke about the UN, and it goes:

Do you know how many people work at the UN?

-->About half....

3 posted on 04/02/2003 10:29:30 AM PST by gaijin
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To: JohnHuang2
Here's a handy reference chart for the confused:

Delivered by truck = aid package
Delivered by B-52 = bomb
4 posted on 04/02/2003 10:41:40 AM PST by thoughtomator (Today, Baghdad; tomorrow, Damascus; Friday, Beirut. We have all weekend free, who wants to sign up?)
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To: JohnHuang2
Isn't the UN in a constant state of 'fear'?
5 posted on 04/02/2003 10:41:44 AM PST by SolutionsOnly
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To: JohnHuang2
... and they are likely to give someone a major case of heartburn
6 posted on 04/02/2003 10:42:40 AM PST by clamper1797 (Credo Quia Absurdum)
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To: gaijin
This was a problem in Afghanistan where we dropped tons of rations. I'm wondering if this is a real problem or someone just trying to make a story. Could it be??? Nawww
7 posted on 04/02/2003 10:42:49 AM PST by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!)
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To: JohnHuang2

BLU 97/B
8 posted on 04/02/2003 10:43:38 AM PST by demlosers (resetting the record)
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Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

To: SolutionsOnly
Didn't know there was still such a thing as the U.N. ;)
10 posted on 04/02/2003 10:45:29 AM PST by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2
Time to ban the color yellow.
11 posted on 04/02/2003 10:46:39 AM PST by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: JohnHuang2
No the bombs are disguised as pencils!
12 posted on 04/02/2003 10:46:45 AM PST by boris (Education is always painful; pain is always educational)
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To: walkingman
Exactly...change the color of these food packets. This has been a problem in the past. Why can't we get it right.
13 posted on 04/02/2003 10:47:32 AM PST by Lucas1
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To: JohnHuang2
Helpful hint....

If you are a RG soldier and hungry...dont pick up the yellow thing.
15 posted on 04/02/2003 10:53:04 AM PST by smith288 (Visit my gallery http://www.ejsmithweb.com/fr/hollywood/hollywood.php)
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To: Lucas1
It hasn't been a problem in the past, except to the hand-wringing class. Both the bomblets and the food are high-visibility yellow to make them easier to see on the ground. You want people to be able to see the bomblets because they are an area-denial weapon. You want people to be able to see the food for the obvious reason.

Does anybody actually have an example where a bomb was mistaken for food?

That said, I guess the food could be packaged in high-visibility orange. But then it might be confused with some other piece of military hardware, for all I know.
16 posted on 04/02/2003 10:53:14 AM PST by gridlock
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To: All
This same CRAP was harped during our (wrong) action in Yugoslavia!!
Man. Give it up already!!
17 posted on 04/02/2003 10:54:08 AM PST by CygnusXI (n00b)
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To: Lucas1
The cost to go through all our cluster bomb or ration drops is enormous...

This is a minor worry and hasnt resulted in mass deaths... I would venture to say there has been more crayon related deaths a year than cluster-mistaken-for-food accidents.
18 posted on 04/02/2003 10:54:41 AM PST by smith288 (Visit my gallery http://www.ejsmithweb.com/fr/hollywood/hollywood.php)
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To: gaijin
About half, half the time.
19 posted on 04/02/2003 10:55:44 AM PST by landerwy
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Comment #20 Removed by Moderator


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