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June 15th, 2017 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : Human Rights Watch strongly criticized the use of artillery-delivered white phosphorous by forces of the U.S.-led coalition in Raqqa, Syria, where Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by U.S. troops and coalition air forces are fighting the Islamic State.
White phosphorous shells used to create smoke screens – a common practice. Using it in populated areas would be an entirely different matter. (archives)
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the coalition forces not to use artillery-delivered white phosphorous as incendiary weapon. The legality of the use of white phosphorous as anti-personnel weapon or as incendiary weapon in populated areas is highly questionable. However, the use of white phosphorous to provide smoke screens is both legal, normal and widely-used.
However, Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch, said in a report published on the website of the Organization stating that “No matter how white phosphorus is used, it poses a high risk of horrific and long-lasting harm in crowded cities like Raqqa and Mosul and any other areas with concentrations of civilians”. HRW added that US-led forces should take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm when using white phosphorus in Iraq and Syria.
On June 9, 2017, the US-led coalition acknowledged using white phosphorus munitions in its strikes in Raqqa. A day earlier, the coalition, according to unnamed “social media activists” allegedly carried out 25 raids on residential neighborhoods in the city of Raqqa, and in several of which it used the white phosphorus rounds. The airstrikes reportedly led to the death of 17 people including 12 in a raid on an internet café in al-Jazra area near the Euphrates River.
“Horrific civilian harm from previous use of white phosphorus has generated public outrage and this latest use of white phosphorus underscores the urgent need for states to strengthen international law relating to incendiary weapons,” Goose said. HRW noted that in both Mosul and Raqqa, the US-led forces are using US-made M825-series 155mm artillery projectiles containing 116 felt wedges impregnated with white phosphorus, which ignites and continues to burn when exposed to the air.
The NGO stressed that attacks using air-delivered incendiary weapons in civilian areas are prohibited under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), noting that while the protocol contains weaker restrictions for ground-launched incendiary weapons, all types of incendiary weapons produce horrific injuries, adding that Protocol III applies only to weapons that are primarily designed to set fires or cause burns, and thus some countries believe it excludes certain multipurpose munitions with incendiary effects, notably those containing white phosphorus.
Many military experts, however, would disagree with HRW, stressing that the use of white phosphorous to create smoke screens does no inflict harm, is not outlawed, and is common practice.
CH/L – nsnbc 14.06.2017
Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/06/14/hrw-criticized-u-s-led-coalitions-use-of-white-phosphorous-in-populated-areas-of-syria/
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