John Cullison
The World's No.1
Science & Technology News Service
Cluster bomb use sparks fear for Iraqi civilians
17:31 03 April 03
NewScientist.com news service
The addition of cluster bombs to the weaponry that the US and UK invasion force is deploying against Iraq's defences has prompted immediate criticism from a number of humanitarian groups.
They say "bomblets" that reach the ground without exploding can harm civilians by detonating later. A particular concern, says UNICEF, is that children could confuse the bomblets with humanitarian food rations being handed out by US troops, because they are the same bright yellow colour.
The same problem arose in Afghanistan, meaning the colour of food ration packaging had to be changed. (Emphasis added. How stupid can we get?!?)
US forces are closing in on Baghdad and military officials said CBU-105 cluster bombs were used against tanks guarding the Iraqi capital on Wednesday. It was the first time this weapon had been used in combat. On Thursday, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed that British forces were also using cluster bombs, but could not say where.
Read the rest
here.