There are several cases in which white phosphorus (WP) has been used as an anti-personnel weapon in Iraq, as confirmed by a United States military general serving in Iraq, but stated they did not intend for its use on civilians, only what it deemed hostile insurgents.^[1] White phosphorus is a flare / smoke producing incendiary weapon,[1] or smoke-screening agent, made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus. ... An anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people. ...

Use by Saddam Hussein to quash rebellion

March 1988: According to an undated ANSA article quoted by an RAI documentary, White phosphorus was used by Saddam Hussein during the Halabja poison gas attack: (transl.) "On the morning of March 16, 1988, the Iraqi aerial forces bombed several times the city with a chemical cocktail of nerve agents: yperite, tabun, VX, napalm and white phosphorus." WP use had not been previously mentioned in other reports on Halabja.^[2] 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ansa Mediterranean (also ANSAmed and formerly Ansa) is an Italian news agency. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... Photo said to have been taken in the aftermath of the attack. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Nerve agents (also known as nerve gases, though these chemicals are liquid at room temperature) are a class of phosphorus-containing organic chemicals (organophosphates) that inhibit the acetylcholinesterase enzyme in animals. ... Mustard gas (HD) is a chemical compound that was first used as a chemical weapon in World War I. In pure form, it is a colourless, odourless, viscous liquid at room temperature and causes blistering of the skin. ... Tabun or GA (Ethyl N,N-dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate) is an extremely toxic substance that is one of the worlds most dangerous military weapons. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A simulated Napalm explosion during MCAS Air Show in 2003. ...

1991 Gulf War

In February 1991, the Iraqi military itself was accused of using WP against both combatants and non-combatants. 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

First major assault on Fallujah

In the documentary "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre", aired on the Italian state television network RAI, a former soldier testified "I saw the burned bodies of women and children. The phosphorus explodes and forms a plume. Who ever is within a 150 metre radius has no hope."^[3][4][5] The U.S. State department first dismissed such claims,^[6] but was later corrected in other reports. Lt Col Barry Venable stated to the BBC, "it is an incendiary weapon and may be used against enemy combatants." According to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, white phosphorus can be used, but only against enemy combatants and not civilians.^[7] The Independent later reported that "there remain widespread reports of civilians suffering extensive burn injuries. While U.S. commanders insist they always strive to avoid civilian casualties, the story of the battle of Fallujah highlights the intrinsic difficulty of such an endeavour."^[8]

In April 2004, during the first major U.S. assault on Fallujah after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government, Darrin Mortenson of the North County Times in California reported that WP was used as an incendiary weapon. Embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Mortenson described one marine, Cpl. Bogert, and his mortar team in action: 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths in April • 18 Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara • 19 Norris McWhirter • 22 Pat Tillman • 24 Estée Lauder Other recent deaths Ongoing events EU Enlargement Exploration of Mars: Rovers Haiti Rebellion Reconstruction of Iraq – Occupation & Resistance Israeli... This article is about the city of Fallujah in Iraq. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... The North County Times is a newspaper in north San Diego County, California, which also publishes The Californian in southwest Riverside County. ... An incendiary device is a device or weapon designed to create a fire. ... 2nd Battalion 1st Marines (2/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... 1st Marine Regiment is an United States Marine Corps INFANTRY Regiment. ...

"Bogert is a mortar team leader who directed his men to fire round after round of high explosives and white phosphorus charges into the city Friday and Saturday... The boom kicked dust around the pit as they ran through the drill again and again, sending a mixture of burning white phosphorus and high explosives they call "shake 'n' bake" into a cluster of buildings where insurgents have been spotted all week."^[9]

This article is about the chemical element. ...

Second major assault on Fallujah

In November 2004, during Operation Phantom Fury (the second major assault on Fallujah), Washington Post reporters embedded with Task Force 2-2, Regimental Combat Team 7, wrote on November 9, 2004 that "Some artillery guns fired white phosphorus rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water."^[10] November 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: November 2004 in sports November 2004 in science Events Deaths in November • 30 Pierre Berton • 29 John Drew Barrymore • 26 Bill Alley • 24 Arthur Hailey • 23 Rafael Eitan • 18 Bobby Frank Cherry • 16 John... Combatants United States Iraqi Security Forces Iraqi insurgents Tawhid wal Jihad Commanders Maj. ... Official force name 7th Marine Regiment Other names 7th Marines Motto No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the chemical element. ...

This claim was also confirmed by members of the US military itself in the March-April 2005 issue of Field Artillery, a journal published by the US Department of Defense. The article, titled "TF 2-2 in FSE AAR: Indirect Fires in the Battle for Fallujah": Field Artillery (or FA) is a bimonthly magazine on the subject of field artillery. ...

"WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired "shake and bake" missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."^[11]

Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre, a documentary film by Sigfrido Ranucci diffused on Italy's RaiNews24 on November 8, 2005, claimed that the U.S. military killed civilians in Fallujah using WP and MK-77 (modernized napalm). The documentary included numerous photographs of charred bodies, claiming they showed fatal wounds caused by WP. The documentary also includes footage of WP being fired from helicopters over Fallujah. It also quoted journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had been in Fallujah, as a testimony.^[12] Ex US soldier Jeff Englehart talking about the use of white phosphorus against Iraqi civilians in Fallujah. ... A Mark 77 bomb being loaded on an F/A-18 Hornet, 1993. ... A simulated Napalm explosion during MCAS Air Show in 2003. ... Giuliana Sgrena Giuliana Sgrena (born December 20, 1948) is a well-known Italian journalist and author who works for the Italian communist newspaper Il Manifesto and the German weekly Die Zeit. ...

On November 15, 2005, Dept. of Defense spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Barry Venable confirmed to the BBC that WP had been used as an incendiary antipersonnel weapon in Fallujah: is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ...

"Yes, it was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants. When you have enemy forces that are in covered positions that your high explosive artillery rounds are not having an impact on and you wish to get them out of those positions, one technique is to fire a white phosphorus round into the position because the combined effects of the fire and smoke - and in some case the terror brought about by the explosion on the ground - will drive them out of the holes so that you can kill them with high explosives."^[13]

On November 22, 2005, An Iraqi investigation was launched into the application of WP by the United States throughout the attack on Fallujah - an inquiry that could reveal whether American forces breached a fundamental international weapons treaty.^[14][15] An incendiary device is a device or weapon designed to create a fire. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On November 30, 2005, General Peter Pace justified use of WP, declaring that WP munitions were a "legitimate tool of the military", used to illuminate targets and create smokescreens, adding: "It is not a chemical weapon. It is an incendiary. And it is well within the law of war to use those weapons as they're being used, for marking and for screening". Peter Pace then made the point that conventional weapons can be more dangerous than non-conventional weapons: "A bullet goes through skin even faster than white phosphorus does".^[1] is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... General Peter Pace (b. ...

Insurgent usage in Iraq

Insurgents have utilized white phosphorus rounds in roadside bombs. In one example in early 2005, Iraqi National Guard members captured Amir Saleh Ismael and Ahmed Qumra Isaa in the act of placing improvised explosive devices (IED). Ismael and Isaa admitted to placing other devices leading the ING to uncover a 155 mm white phosphorus round with detonation cord.^[16]

External links

• Globalsecurity.org on WP (including use during the Battle of Fallujah and during the December 1994 battle for Grozny during the First Chechen War)
• TF 2-2 IN FSE AAR: Indirect Fires in the Battle of Fallujah (PDF) Field Artillery Magazine (March-April 2005)
• "Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre", RAI, November 8, 2005. 
• "US 'uses incendiary arms' in Iraq", BBC, November 8, 2005. 
• December 9, 2004 U.S. Denial of Using Illegal Weapons in Fallujah AND November 10, 2005 note - following RAI doc - recognizing WP use for screening purposes and as a "potent psychological weapons" in "shake&bake" operations
• "The fog of war: white phosphorus, Fallujah and some burning questions (by Andrew Buncombe and Solomon Hughes)", The Independent, November 15, 2005. 
• "US used white phosphorus in Iraq (Lt Col Barry Venable)", BBC, November 16, 2005. 
• "U.S. official admits phosphorus used as weapon in Iraq", CBC, November 16, 2005. 
• "Incendiary weapons: The big white lie", The Independent, November 17, 2005. 
• "US general defends phosphorus use", BBC, November 30, 2005. 
• White phosphorus chemical backgrounder

Combatants United States Iraqi Security Forces Iraqi insurgents Tawhid wal Jihad Commanders Maj. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Commanders Pavel Grachev Anatoly Kulikov Konstantin Pulikovsky Anatoliy Romanov Vyacheslav Tikhomirov Gennady Troshev Dzhokhar Dudayev  â€  Aslan Maskhadov Strength (December 11, 1994) 20,000 Russian Army 20,000 MVD (December 11, 1994) 5,000–7,000 total[1] (1,000–3,000 regulars) Casualties...

Notes

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Giuliana Sgrena Giuliana Sgrena (born December 20, 1948) is a well-known Italian journalist and author who works for the Italian communist newspaper Il Manifesto and the German weekly Die Zeit. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• White phosphorus (weapon)
• Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre