Shocking Videos Expose US Chemical Weapons use on Civilians

[populistdriven]

http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/body.asp

This is an account of an American serviceman that was there:

"It just comes across the radio... In 5 mics we're going to drop some Whiskey Pete... Whiskey Pete thats the military slang for White Phosphorous... There is no question that White Phosphorous is a chemical weapon... This video proves that a chemical weapon was used in a massive and indiscriminate way on the population of Fallujah... In the days that followed US satellite shows Fallujah burnt out and destroyed to the ground... The gasses from the warhead, the white phosphorous disperses in a white cloud and when it makes contact with skin then its absolutely irreversible damage, burning uh, flesh to the bone. Um, it doesnt necessarily burn clothes, but it will burn the skin underneath clothes and this is why protective masks to not help it will burn through the rubber of the mask, it will manage to get inside your face. If you breath it it will blister your throat and your lungs till you suffocate, and then it will burn you from the inside. It basically reacts to skin, oxegen and water. The only way to stop the burning is with wet mud but, at that point its just impossible to stop... (have you seen the effects of these weapons?) yes, burned bodies, burned women and burned children, white phosphorous kills indiscriminately. Its a cloud that in most cases, to within 150 meters of impact, will disperse and will burn every, every human being or animal..."


http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10907.htm

"White Phosphorus is supposed to be used to mark targets for aviation flying high over an objective area. And I know for a fact that no fixed-winged aviation was dropping ordnance in that area, it was too close to friendlies. I know this for a FACT. To see what I saw, not 1000 meters from where I was, in retrospect, is really frightening."

[WilliamPitt]

1. Whiskey Pete?

Did the military change call signs?

It was always Willy Pete.

Did I miss a memo?

[populistdriven]

2. Yes, William, you are out of touch with current military callsigns

It is clearly referred to using both "whiskey" & willy"

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/08/1516227


http://www.democrats.com/node/6760

[WilliamPitt]

3. Thanks

[Dewatson]

6. Hey, I'm new and I saw a diary on this over at dailykos that

I would like to have someone start a new thread here, cuz I cannot.

It was up for a while but it only got a few recommendations before it vanished from the homepage.

It is called Every Mother's Child and I agree with the poster. We won't be able to end these atrocities, if we do not shed light on them. That is the only way to make it stop.

Here is the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/10/10410/720

From the diary:
I think of the children in Iraq, some as young as my own. I picture sitting in my living room and hearing a black helicopter hovering over my roof. It's loud, from a speaker I hear what sound like orders being angrily shouted in a language I don't understand. Then I hear the loud crashing of a bomb falling through my ceiling. The last thing I see and hear is my children screaming as acid eats their tender flesh away. This is just a nightmare for me, but for the mothers of Iraq it is a reality.

[insane_cratic_gal]

12. Welcome to DU Dewatson!

[Dewatson]

13. Thanks, glad to be here

would you start a thread for me, I just signed up and it says I don't have enough post to do it myself.

[insane_cratic_gal]

15. what would that be?

and you really don't need a tremendous amount of posts to start a thread. I would glance around at some topics on the boards and respond to get your count up a little bit. Say about 11ish topics?

[Dewatson]

17. will do, I can kick stuff and that should help

but would you post the diary in it's own thread.

I like the diary and I wish that people would read and recommend it.

[insane_cratic_gal]

20. done

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5322590&mesg_id=5322590

hope it gets the attention it deserves.

[Dewatson]

22. Thanks again

[newyawker99]

23. Hi Dewatson!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Many threads already on this

but will make the point I have been making all over

Be careful with the language and think of this as if you were presenting this to a mythical jury

1.- WP is legal to illuminate targets, for tracer rounds, hand grenades for god sakes and it is NOT considered a WMD, but an incendiary with very limited uses.

2.- It was not used the way it was intended, which moves us into war atrocity \war crime territory

3.- MK 47 are the descendants of NAPALM and those are actually not kosher under the laws of land warfare (we now enter the realm of war crime)

4.- Many will say, (even the Lt Col doing the PR work) but it is allowed for us to use it to obscure troop movement, he is correct, but if that use also leads to the indiscriminate use of this among a civilian population in an Urban area, you enter dangerous territory and we did.

I keep emphasizing this for we have no photos to help us, thanks to our wonderful and so free media that will tell us all that we need to know :sarcasm:



Oh and why should we care (apart of the obvious reasons), well I am a selfish SOB and I want future troops and even our civilians to have some level of protection in future conflict

[populistdriven]

5. There is plenty of proof now here is more

If you watched the weapons shot from helicopters in the video (WATCH THEM) it is pretty clear that these are incindary chemical weapons being shot close to the ground, that they disperse before impact and hit the target quickly, these were not used to illuminate targets.

If you are unsure about the pain experienced by those who died by the WP chemical attacks in Falluja try scraping the head of a (phosphorus-containing) strike-anywhere wooden match under your fingernail and crush it. Try using water to sooth the pain. Now imagine that covering 100,000 fold more surface area of your skin.

No time to read? Then watch these videos:
1) http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10907.htm
2) http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/body.asp

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/11/9/164137/436

Now is is easy to understand how 100,000 people died in Fallujah. The facts of the matter appear to be that Fallujah was a town of 310,000 people of whom less than an hundred thousand can currently be accounted for. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article325560.ece http://crookedtimber.org/2005/04/20/lancet-interview/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancet_survey_of_mortality_before_and_after_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq


"A Palestinian runs for cover as tanks fire phosphorous
during clashes in Nablus on Sunday, Jan, 9 2000."

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/U.S._Army_publication_confirms_United_States_1109.html

The March edition of Field Artillery magazine, a U.S. Army publication, reveals that the U.S. military did in fact use the incendiary weapon white phosphorous in Fallujah, Iraq, a Daily Kos diarist has found. Here is a link to that publication (pdf) http://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/Previous_Editions/05/mar-apr05/PAGE24-30.pdf

"WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition," the article's author 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. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."

A second publication, Infantry Magazine, also alleges that white phosphorous was used near the Iraqi city of Irbil. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_3_93/ai_n6366546 Newsroom sources tell RAW STORY that the New York Times held a story they were scheduled to run on the weapon's use Thursday.

A terrifying video about the U.S. use of the weapon in Fallujah is available at Information Clearinghouse. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10907.htm

ANOTHER VIDEO - http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/body.asp

The U.S. has said any use of the weapon was for "lighting" purposes.

According to the Toxic Disease registry, "White phosphorus is a waxy solid which burns easily and is used in chemical manufacturing and smoke munitions. Exposure to white phosphorus may cause burns and irritation, liver, kidney, heart, lung, or bone damage, and death."

Wikipedia adds, "Detonating a WP shell in a confined area (like firing into a building) will indeed cause an effect comparable to the use of lung agent poison gases for those inside who do not or can not flee, with the additional consequence of setting the room(s) alight. Death will occur from lung edema, phosphoric acid poisoning or the resulting shock, or burns."

Use of white phosphorus is not banned by name in any international treaty. However, the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons (Protocol III) prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations or in areas that have high civilian populations. The United States is among several nations that are not signatories to the convention.

The PDF of the article is here.
http://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/Previous_Editions/05/mar-apr05/PAGE24-30.pdf

DEVELOPING....

Another article:
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m17639&date=10-nov-2005_03:32_ECT

In other words the claim by the US Government that White Phosphorus was used only for illumination at Fallujah had been pre-emptively debunked by the Army. Indeed, the article goes on to make clear that soldiers would have liked to have saved more WP rounds to use for "lethal missions."

However, as Mark Kraft, an emailer to Eric Alterman's blog, Altercation, points out today, the Field Artillery Magazine article fails to inform its audience that

. . . there is no way you can use white phosphorus like that without forming a deadly chemical cloud that kills everything within a tenth of a mile in all directions from where it hits. Obviously, the effect of such deadly clouds weren't just psychological in nature.

What I saw in Iraq with regards to White Phosphorus
The Liberal US Marine, Daily Kos
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m17637&date=10-nov-2005_03:17_ECT

November 9, 2005

I was with a Marine Corps unit on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah, Iraq in March 2003. We were set up in the city dump (the nastiest place I have EVER slept at. The flies were horrible), right on the river (I cant remember if it was the Tigiris or the Euphrates). Anyway, the huge fight of the war was An Nasiriyah. The Marine Corps scheme of manuever counted on having An Nasiriyah secured so the remainder of the division could push northward. An Nasiriyah was proving very difficult to secure, so that city became the intregal objective for the Marine Corps.

More below the Jump.

Anyway, I recall vividly a incident that took place at our position. A Marine Artillery battery was within 500 meters of our position and they were providing indirect fire support in support of ground operations occuring in and around An Nasiriyah. I recall them shooting at a target in a tree line, across the river, maybe 700-1000 meters to the east of our position. When the rounds were shot out, they seemed to explode over the target area. A dense white cloud rained down on the tree line and you could see some enemy vehicles attempt to flee the area. I knew from watching similar explosions in training exercises that the cloud raining down on the target area was a white phosphorus round. They shot about 5 of them from my recollection.

I recall thinking, "Man, that is some evil stuff there." Knowing what I know about Willy Pete, it would be a terrible way to die. White Phosphorus is supposed to be used to mark targets for aviation flying high over an objective area. And I know for a fact that no fixed-winged aviation was dropping ordnance in that area, it was too close to friendlies. I know this for a FACT. To see what I saw, not 1000 meters from where I was, in retrospect, is really frightening. I remember feeling like the more of them we killed, the quicker we could go home. And I am positive that is how every servicemember in a combat zone feels.

This is what I saw. No lies, no embellishing, just true facts. We did use Willy Pete on enemies (and due to urban operations, most likely on civilians too).


Weapons of Mass Destruction Employed by US to Imolate Falluja: White Phosphorus is a Chemical Weapon

(GRAPHIC) http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m10211&l=i&size=1&hd=0

March 7, 2005

The use of white phosphorus "violates the Geneva Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. Incendiary agents such as napalm and phosphorus are not considered to be CW agents since they achieve their effect mainly through thermal energy. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/cw/cwindex.html >

However, a report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concludes that White Phosphorus achieves its effects mainly through non-thermal energy. It must be concluded that White Phosphorus is considered a CW agent, and would violate the Geneva Protocol since its use causes indiscriminate and extreme injuries especially when deployed in an Urban area such as Falluja, Iraq.

Pictures of the dead of Falluja have been published by reporter Dahr Jamal of the Electronic Iraq project, and several commentators have suggested that their injuries are consistent with the use of White Phosphorus by US forces in Falluja.


http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic918.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_incendiary

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. I saw them, and you kow what came to mind? GUERNICA

but we have to be damn careful with the language... and be correct on its use

And the fact does not change, WP is NOT a WMD, it is an INCENDIARY... this is a technicality, but it woudl not fly in a jury counselor.

[DS1]

8. This will fall on deaf ears

People around here don't give a fuck about facts in this case. It's WMD and that's that. :eyes:

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. I know I keep repeating it becuase hwo we frame this

is critical

[populistdriven]

14. It kills by inhalation, blistering lungs and skin - ITS A CHEMICAL WEAPON

It leaves clothing mostly intact - sounds like a CHEMICAL AGENT to me

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. But it is not, it is NOT classified as such

look by your definition, bullets are a chemical weapon for they require the hammer to strike the cartridge to ignite the charge, that is a chemical reaction.

Be careful Counselor or any person with a little knowledge will tear your argument apart... it is not a chemical weapon and the distinction under the laws of land warfare is put there for a reason, this is NOT mustard Gas or Sarin... if it entered into that classification it would be banned under the Chemical weapons protocol of 1921...

Exactness matters...

And I am not denying an atrocity was committed, it was, but we need to be careful how we frame this with Joe Six Pack and some Joes, even some Jills have served and KNOW how WP is classified. Call it a chemical weapon and they will block the rest of your argument, counselor.

[RethugAssKicker]

19. I don't give a shit what its classified as....

When used on people it behaves as a chemical weapon with the means of mass destruction!

[populistdriven]

21. I have seen it falling in the night sky - don't ask me how or where but

It scared the hell out of me the first time I saw it.

At night it looks like liquid fire with no flame envelope, just falling liquid fire, like pale-white-hot clumps of falling lava.

[Zuni]

18. no, it is an incindiary

and it is very common. It was used in huge amounts by all sides in WWII and in probably every war since

[Zuni]

7. WP has been used in virtually every war since WWII

it is very common. Probably every army in the world has WP in it's arsenal. It is usually used in mortar or artillery shells, or in hand grenades.

it is not a "chemical weapon" in the same sense nerve gas is. It is an incindiary used to burn troops out of fixed positions, like napalm.

[populistdriven]

11. It has also been used to immolate a City