White Phosphorous
Jetpak is Public
Created By: kitchenstudios
Last Modified: 12/05/05
Summary: US shameless use of chemical weapons in Iraq. How can this be justified?


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white politics iraq phosphorous wmd

Link: Official report of use of WP in Fallujah notes reaction of infantry and tank platoon sergents: "Awesome!"

Summary: "We used improved WP for screening missions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions."

Link: Amy Goodman Interview

Summary: Democracy Now! airs an exclusive excerpt of "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre," featuring interviews with U.S. soldiers, Iraqi doctors and international journalists on the U.S. attack on Fallujah. Produced by Italian state broadcaster RAI TV, the documentary charges U.S. warplanes illegally dropped white phosphorus incendiary bombs on civilian populations, burning the skin off Iraqi victims. One U.S. soldier charges this amounts to the U.S. using chemical weapons against the Iraqi people.

Questions?

  1. Why would the use of chemical weapons be denied initially and now accepted without shame?
  2. Is the use of this type of inhuman weaponry not the greatest case of hypocriscy yet? 

Link: Commentary on "Whiskey Pete"

Summary: The United States government initially denied using white phosphorus as a weapon, but admitted using it as an "obscurant." (Robert Tuttle, US Ambassador to London). Press reports of embedded reporters from the San Diego North County News, and the Washington Post, described civilian bodies in a Fullujah hospital that had been "attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorus burns." When confronted by firsthand newspaper accounts that indicated that shells were indeed fired directly at ground positions in the built-up civilian neighborhoods of Fallujah, a government official "accepted the mistake and undertook to correct its Web site."(The Independent) The use of incendiary weapons such as white phosphorus against civilian targets is banned by international treaty against chemical weapons which the U.S. signed in 1997.

Smoke Screen

Smoke Screen

From: http://www.globalsecurity.org

WP in the Field

WP in the Field

From: http://www.globalsecurity.org

White Phosphorous Tested in the 1920s

White Phosphorous Tested in the 1920s

From: http://www.globalsecurity.org

White Phosphorous (defined) -

White phosphorus is a colorless, white, or yellow waxy solid with a garlic-like odor. It does not occur naturally, but is manufactured from phosphate rocks.

White phosphorus reacts rapidly with oxygen, easily catching fire at temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above room temperature.

White phosphorus is used by the military in various types of ammunition, and to produce smoke for concealing troop movements and identifying targets.

It is also used by industry to produce phosphoric acid and other chemicals for use in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning compounds. Small amounts of white phosphorus were used in the past in pesticides and fireworks.

 


Link: Democracy Now on WP

Summary: In a North American broadcast exclusive, we bring you an excerpt from a new film that accuses the U.S. of using white phosphorus as a weapon in the Fallujah attack. 10,000 buildings were destroyed, with thousands more seriously damaged. At least 100,000 residents were permanently displaced, over 70 U.S. soldiers were killed, and the Iraqi death toll is unknown. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail was a one of the few un-embedded, independent reporters in Iraq at the time. On our program, he first reported U.S. troops were using chemical weapons in Iraq.

Link: White Lies?

Summary: The National Review puts a Right-Wing spin on the chemical weapons being used in Iraq.

Jetpak: Military: WP Should Have Been saved for "lethal missions"

http://www.jeteye.com/jetpak/e2101506-3b33-1029-86c1-00304880af2f
Summary: "Awesome." Official Military report details US soldiers response to use of WP artillery in Fallujah. "We used improved WP for screening mis- sions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions."



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