ZNet |Iraq | Covering up Napalm in Iraq by Mike Whitney
Two weeks ago the UK Independent ran an article which confirmed that the US had “lied to Britain over the use of napalm in Iraq”. (6-17-05) Since then, not one American newspaper or TV station has picked up the story even though the Pentagon has verified the claims. This is the extent to which the American “free press” is yoked to the center of power in Washington. …
“Despite persistent rumors of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm” the Pentagon insisted that “US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq.” (UK Independent)
The Pentagon lied.
Defense Minister, Adam Ingram, admitted that the US had misled the British high-command about the use of napalm, but he would not comment on the extent of the cover up. The use of firebombs puts the US in breach of the 1980 Convention on Certain Chemical Weapons (CCW) and is a violation the Geneva Protocol against the use of white phosphorous, “since its use causes indiscriminate and extreme injuries especially when deployed in an urban area.”
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The New Napalm in Iraq (News) Barb Jacobs
On its website, the US State Department denies reports that napalm-like weapons were used in Fallujah, but confirms that “Mark-77 firebombs … were used against enemy positions in 2003,” and maintains that it has not used any illegal weapons in Iraq.
The Independent says the US has sidestepped the UN Convention on Certain Chemical Weapons, which banned the use of incendiary weapons against civilians, by claiming the firebombs were used only against military targets. Then again, the US didn’t really have to get around it, as it’s not a party to the convention anyway.
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Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | US misled UK over Iraq fire bombs
US Marines dropped 30 Mark 77 fire bombs between March 31 and April 2 2003 “against military targets away from civilian areas”. In a letter to Michael Ancram, shadow defence secretary, Mr Reid also says: “The MK77 does not have the same composition as napalm, although it has similar destructive characteristics.”
He adds the Pentagon had also told the government that “owing to the limited accuracy of the MK77, it is not generally used in urban terrain or in areas where civilians are congregated”. Mr Reid points out Britain is bound by convention not to use incendiary weapons against military targets located within concentrations of civilians.
He continues: “US policy in relation to international conventions is a matter for the US government, but all of our allies are aware of their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
Mr Ancram said the issue raised questions “about the quality of our communications with our US allies”, and has asked Mr Reid to explain. …
When reports surfaced, the Pentagon separated “napalm” from “firebombs”. According to GlobalSecurity.org, MK77s “function identical to earlier MK77 napalm weapons” using kerosene rather than benzene.