white phosphorus

Since serious questions have been raised about the validity of claims that the US used phosphorus and other prohibited weapons in the attack on Fallujah, I hope that some documentation for this can be published here in response.

American soldiers used white phosphorus in the operation Phantom Fury attack on Fallujah. Though white phosphorus is not specifically banned, all incendiaries were banned by the UN in 1980. White phosphorus spreads on the skin and catches fire. It cannot be extinguished or washed off with water. In military slang, white phosphorus is known as Willy Pete, or Whiskey Pete. Italian TV produced a documentary on its use by US forces on the citizens of Fallujah, including photographic evidence and eye witness statements. The Boston Globe, All Headline News and Reuters reported the story.

The US department of defence has admitted to using MK-77 Incendiary bombs in Iraq. MK-77 is just napalm in canisters. To repeat, all such incendiary bombs have been banned by the UN since 1980.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/11/09/us_fired_phosphorus_in_iraq_tv_reports/
http://www.chris-floyd.com/fallujah/
http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd12172005.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030805-9999_1n5bomb.html
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/495?OpenDocument

Dr Salam Ismael, of the Baghdad-based group Doctors for Iraq, said that photographic evidence pointed to the use of napalm on civilians during the second siege of Fallujah.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/iraq-doctor-brings-evidence-of-us-napalm-at-fallujah/2006/05/22/1148150185038.html

In March 2003 Dr. Khalid ash-Shaykhli of Iraq's Ministry of Health made the claim at a Baghdad press conference that US forces had used mustard gas, nerve gas and other burning chemical weapons against Iraqi civilians in their assault on the city of Falluja:

"I absolutely do not exclude their use of nuclear and chemical substances, since all forms of nature were wiped out in that city. I can even say that we found dozens, if not hundreds, of stray dogs, cats, and birds that had perished as a result of those gasses."

http://politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/744/1/80/
http://www.ilmanifesto.it/pag/sgrena/en/420dd721e0ff0.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_%28weapon%29#Use_in_Iraq

Independant reporter Dahr Jamail claimed that the US had used poison gas in the attacks on Fallujah.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/29/1448226

Interestingly, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had produced a documentary and a number of articles about US atrocities in Fallujah, was kidnapped outside Baghdad University in February 2005 by four gunmen. Eventually released, she was making her way to Baghdad Airport when her vehicle came under heavy fire from US forces. One person died and Sgrena and another car occupant were wounded. The cause of the incident was hotly debated and was considered by some to be a US response to Sgrena's reporting from Fallujah. The incident led to strained diplomatic relations between Italy and the US.

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