Instruction Manual teaches against the law to use white phoshorus

Hope this is not a dupe: Just got it an email today

Army Manual: against the 'laws of war' to fire white phosphorous on ppl


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/5185


IRAQ: ARMY SAID USE OF WHITE PHOSPHOROUS WEAPONS VIOLATED LAW OF WAR

BY: Judd Legum, Nico Pitney, Payson Schwin, Faiz Shakir and Amanda Terkel.

SOURCE: APAF's 11-21-05 column, "Progress Report."


Reversing numerous prior denials, Pentagon officials admitted last
week that the deadly incendiary white phosphorous was, in fact, "used
as a weapon against insurgent strongholds during the battle of Fallujah
last November." <1> <2> But the Bush administration defended its use,
claiming that phosphorus is "not outlawed or illegal." <3>

Yet new reports show that the Instruction Manual used by the U.S. Army
Command and General Staff School (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
"teaches senior officers it is against the 'laws of war' to fire the
incendiary
weapon at human targets." <4> According to the UK Independent, the Army
manual "makes clear that white phosphorus can be used to produce a smoke
screen. But it adds: 'It is against the law of land warfare to employ WP
against personnel targets.'" <5>

However, the U.S. military repeatedly fired white phosphorous weapons against
human targets inside the city of Fallujah during its siege in November of
2004.
When white phosphorous particles come in contact with human skin, they will
burn through the flesh down to the bone.

ENDNOTES

<1> ATSDR's article, "ToxFAQs For White Phosphorous":
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts103.html

<2> Judd Legum, et al., APAF's11-17-05 Progress Report,
"Iraq: The Truth About White Phosphorous":
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/cont...

<3> David Charter, Michael Evans and Richard Beeston's 11-17-05 Times
Online article, "Phosphorous Was Used For Fallujah Bombs, Admits US":
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1875728,00...

<4> Andrew Buncombe's 11-19-05 Independent article, "US Army Rules Say:
'Don't Use WP Against People'":
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas327926.ece

<5> Ibid.
_______________________________________________________________
FINALLY, PLEASE READ 4 ESSAYS FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS ISSUE:

George Monbiot's 11-15-05 CD/GU essay, "The U.S. Used Chemical Weapons
In Iraq - And Then Lied About It" :
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1115-29.htm

Dave Lindorff's 11-17-05 CP essay, "In Post-Saddam Iraq There Are
No Civilians: How The Pentagon Justifies Phosphorous Bombs On Fallujah":
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff11172005.html

Reuters' 11-17-05 CNN editorial, "Torture And Phosphorous Disclosures
Hurt US-Iraqi Image" torture and chemical weapons on his own people. However,
the US military
has used torture, white phosphorous and napalm weapons against the Iraqis.]:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/17/iraq.analysis...

but the statement seems to reveal that the writer thought it should be.

similarly, it isn't prohibited under any current US treaties (for 92 more civilized nations it is, but that's another matter).