Monday, November 21, 2005

US Used Chemical Weapons in Iraq, Then Lied

I don't know why this isn't getting more (any?) coverage in the US news. The Mail & Guardian has an article today called US used chemical weapons, then lied.

It turns out the Italian reports didn't have enough evidence but bloggers found the proof in the March 2005 issue of Field Artillery, a magazine put out by the US Army. US officers talked about using White Phosphorous in Fallujah in Nov 2004. They also found another report from an embedded reporter in the April 2004 Fallujah siege.

When the accusations started the US State Department said WP was used for illumination, not directly against humans. Denial, the first thing this administration does for everything. And of course it didn't work. Last Thu they found out this was false and went to tactic number two, we just used it as a psychological weapon. The London Times describes a third tactic, it's not an illegal chemical weapon. It turns out it's not covered by the 1993 convention but is by the 1980 convention but the US didn't ratify Protocol III, blah blah blah.

Really shouldn't the measure of this be if we won't admit it in a public statement, we probably shouldn't do it? Maybe that's too strong, but the Mail & Guardian article ends with this damning line: "Hussein, facing a possible death sentence, is accused of mass murder, torture, false imprisonment and the use of chemical weapons. He is certainly guilty on all counts. So, it now seems, are those who overthrew him."

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