Unexploded Munitions

As a follow up to my previous post regarding cluster bombs, as I feared, Lebanese civilians returning to thier homes are in danger from the estimated 7-8,000 unexploded artillery shells, cluster bombs and other ordinance. Around 15-25% of all cluster bombs dropped are duds, that is, they don't explode until they are disturbed, at best they make entire areas of land completely unsafe for any kind of activity.

A summary of the unexploded ordinance (UXO) problem, taken from Reuters..

-The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped a daily average of 200-300 bombs on areas adjacent to the border, and at least a similar amount on the remainder of southern Lebanon. Coupled with the extensive bombing of areas of southern Beirut and the Bekka Valley, this warfare has left an extensive threat from unexploded high-explosive bombs, including 500 lb., 1,000 lb., and 2,000 lb. weapons;

-The IDF fired a daily average of 200-300 aerial-delivered missiles on areas adjacent to the border, and at least a similar amount on the remainder of southern Lebanon;

-The IDF fired approximately 2,000 artillery rounds per day on areas adjacent to the border, and at least a similar amount on the remainder of southern Lebanon;

-Hezbollah used weapons such as mortars which have a notoriously high dud rate;

-The IDF and Hezbollah engaged in substantial ground combat operations, mainly centered on the villages of Marwahin, Bint Jbeil/Marun al-Ras, Khaim and Kafa Kila/Al Taibe. Both sides extensively used conventional small arms and light missile systems. The IDF targeting of Hezbollah weapons and munitions caches, while destroying many arms, also scattered some munitions in the immediate vicinity.

People are now streaming back in thier thousands. The unexploded sub-munitions are in some cases tiny and U.N. bomb disposal teams can't clear the roads fast enough. Cars 'swerve to avoid the caution tapes, sometimes by just inches.'

Andrew Gleeson of the UK-based Mines Action Group (MAG) said this ordnance would be highly unstable and could detonate easily if moved.

Mr Gleeson, a former British army bomb disposal expert, said: "The explosive material will deteriorate over time. Heat and rain will make the material less stable."

Children are especially vulnerable because they don't know how to identify this kind of threat. A young girl died after stepping on a cluster bomb sub-munition, one of the hundreds of small explosives within the M26 MLRS. Eight civilians suffered injuries from unexploded cluster bombs in one region alone.

Personally I feel that the Isreali military should be responsible for clearing away the mess left by their offensive, which as far as I can gather, did little except destroy civilian lives and Lebanon's infrastructure. Hezbollah remains undefeated, and is now more popular with the public than it ever has been. Bush can call Hezbollah the losers as much as he likes but it doesn't change the fact that the Isreali objective was to destroy Hezbollah, and they didn't do it. It underlines the actual reason for the conflict, that the Isreali's seek control over the whole region in order to secure the homeland, and systematically destroying the infrastructure of the surrounding countrys renders them unable to compete militarily and economically. In the same way that the U.S. did not attack Iraq and take out Hussein in the first gulf war in order to build bases and control the region, Israel needs Hezbollah, and will continue to provoke conflict, in order to expand military operations and maintain control of the area.

Overall it was a tragic waste of life and property and has drawn serious condemnation of the Isreali governement from most of the world, quite rightly so. Families have been torn apart, hundreds are dead, and now coming home, people have to face the fear of these unexploded munitions. Haven't these people suffered enough?

Some families have come to these bombs strewn across thier property and await bomb-disposal experts to remove them.

This excerpt from the German Press Agency (dPa):

A returning resident guided journalists to the ten or so cluster bombs scattered across his garden alone. 'I told my children they cannot play outside now, but i am afraid for their safety,' Ali Mokdad told dpa. 'I have informed the army and they will come on Wednesday to clean them up,' he said. 'These weapons are forbidden internationally.'

Ali's wife, Hasnaa, was happy to find their house intact when they returned, and clearly would have preferred to ignore the threat of the cluster bombs that were surrounding her house. She tried not to listen while her husband was speaking about the dangers of such bombs on their children. 'Thank God this war has ended and I returned to my home,' she said.

But suddenly Hasnaa's smile was wiped off her face as she heard the sound of a nearby explosion and saw her neighbours running to where a cluster bomb had exploded.

This time, the victim was a cat.

I assume that if a cat can explode one of these bombs, then a child will certainly set one off if they go near it. I expect to hear about many more of these casualties in the near future.

So America is blameless?

(article NSFW or kids)

There IS a direct link between the U.S. and the war in Lebanon (not a 'crisis' or a 'conflict' or even a damn 'police action', it's a war). Several sources I've found mention how the U.S. is and continues to supply weapons to the IDF. My points:

1) How can Iran be accused of trying to destabilise a region by supplying arms to Hezbollah and yet when America supports Isreal by suppling arms and supplies it is to: "keep peace and security in the region." (source).

2) Why is the U.S. on one hand supporting the United Nations draft resolution for a cessation of hostilities, and at the same time supplying GBU-28 "bunker buster" laser-guided bombs to the Israeli military?

3) And what the hell about the sale of 'wide blast area' cluster munitions continuing considering the Administrations apparent dislike for the scale of Lebanese civilian casualties? This is what gets me more than anything. Isreal 'deeply regrets' the attacks that result in civilian deaths.

"David Siegel... said... that “as a rule, we obviously don’t fire into populated areas, with the exception of the use of precision-guided munitions against terrorist targets.” In such cases, Israel has dropped leaflets warning of impending attacks to avoid civilian casualties, he said."

Really? Note the term 'Precision-Guided Munitions.'

A description of the weapon we're talking about here:

"The M26 rocket is launched from the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to ranges of 32 to 38 kilometers and it creates a wide-area effect by dispensing 644 M77 submunitions. A typical volley of six rockets would release 3,864 submunitions over an area with a 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) radius. U.S. testing data puts the initial failure rate of M77 submunitions at anywhere between 5 percent and 23 percent. British military testing indicates an initial failure rate of between 5 percent and 10 percent. Both governments note that initial failure rates largely depend on ground conditions, range and other operational factors.

"The M26 rocket epitomizes a retreat from precision targeting," said Roth. "It kills civilians across wide areas and leaves volatile submunitions scattered across the countryside that can kill civilians for years to come. This deadly weapon should never be used anywhere near civilians."

Remember those instances in Afghantistan were the aid packages were little yellow packages, and the sub-munitions that come out of the M-26 were little yellow grenades? And how a lot of them didn't explode immediately? Same brutal anti-civilian weapon.

But the Isrealis counter this, by saying that they don't fire them at civilians:

"In the case of cluster munitions, including the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which fires the M-26, the Israeli military only fires into open terrain where rocket launchers or other military targets are found, to avoid killing civilians, an Israeli official said."

Is that so.

"In the current conflict, Israel has already used artillery-fired cluster munitions against populated areas, causing civilian casualties. According to eyewitnesses and survivors of an attack interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Israel fired several artillery-based cluster munitions at the village of Blida around 3:00 p.m. on July 19. Three witnesses described how the artillery shells dropped hundreds of cluster submunitions on the village. The attack killed 60-year-old Maryam Ibrahim inside her home. At least two submunitions entered the basement that the Ali family was using as a shelter, wounding 12 people, including seven children."

So while America continues to ship munitions off to Isreal "in the interest of peace and broader international security", how are we making sure that they are being used properly? What kind of safegaurds are we putting in place to ensure that innocent people don't get maimed, mutilated, decapitated? Is there any chance in light of the current situation that we may stop such a sale?

"State Department officials “are discussing whether or not there needs to be a block on this sale because of the past history and because of the current circumstances,” said the senior official, adding that it was likely that Israel will get the rockets, but will be told to be “be careful.”

Be careful.

Here's the care:
















Evidently, due to the carnage taking place right now, I think it's safe to assume that 'care' is not something that the Isreali military are considering as a central doctrine.

Reminds me of a Pink Floyd line:

Her cold eyes imploring the men in their macs
For the gold in their bags or the knives in their backs.

America is condemning the violence and supporting it in the same breath. Such hypocrisy.