Beniboybling
Worst Member
US military admits to using white phosphorous in Mosul:
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/13/532809626/u-s-led-coalition-has-used-white-phosphorous-in-fight-for-mosul-general-says
In Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition has admitted -- for the first time -- to using white phosphorus during operations in the Iraqi city of Mosul."We have utilized white phosphorus to screen areas within west Mosul to get civilians out safely," New Zealand Brig. Gen. Hugh McAslan tells NPR. He estimates that around 28,000 civilians have managed to make the dangerous crossing out of Islamic State territory in the past few days alone.
[...]
Human rights organizations have warned that the use of white phosphorus to produce obfuscating smoke screens carries deadly risks in an urban setting. Amnesty International says the substance can cause "horrific injuries, burning deep into the muscle and bone." The incendiary substance can reignite weeks after being deployed, causing potential harm to those fleeing or returning.
Amnesty made those warnings in a report documenting the use of white phosphorus east of Mosul in 2016. At the time, it said that the use of the substance in the vicinity of population centers "constitutes an indiscriminate attack and can be a war crime."
No confirmation on Raqqa yet but if they are already using it in Mosul but on top of the video evidence, seems increasingly likely.
And on the topic of Raqqa:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/14/staggering-civilian-deaths-from-us-led-airstrikes-in-raqqa-says-un
UN war crimes investigators have denounced a "staggering loss of civilian life" caused by the US-backed campaign to reclaim Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State.The independent commission of inquiry tasked with investigating violations of international law, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria said the intensification of airstrikes by the US-led coalition had led to the deaths of at least 300 civilians in the city.
[...]
"We note in particular that the intensification of airstrikes, which have paved the ground for an SDF advance in Raqqa, has resulted not only in staggering loss of civilian life, but has also led to 160,000 civilians fleeing their homes and becoming internally displaced," Paulo Pinheiro, the chairman of the UN commission of inquiry, told the human rights council in Geneva.
Karen Abuzayd, an American commissioner on the independent panel, said: "We have documented the deaths caused by the coalition airstrikes only and we have about 300 deaths -- 200 in one place, in al-Mansoura, one village."
Though no doubt the Trump administration will accept those Syrians it's displaced with open arms. 👆