BAGHDAD, November 16 – Yesterday an honest yet disturbing message was spread by the U.S. military. They have admitted the use of white phosphorous in the Iraq war, more specifically during the siege of Falluja in 2004.
The Pentagon admitted this yesterday, stressing that it was used as an “incendiary weapon”. Later Lieutenant Colonel Venable urged that this substance is not covered by any international agreements on chemical weapons. White phosphorous is known to be used to create smokescreens to deter and confuse the enemy yet when the substance comes in contact with bare skin it will burn down to the bone. Strangely enough the U.S. ambassador in London recently denied that the U.S. military used white phosphorous in this war, as well as napalm.
Commotion arose when the Italian state television, RAI, aired a documentary in which claims were made that white phosphorous was used as a weapon in the attack on Falluja and that many Iraqi civilians including women and children died of the burns of this substance. Lieutenant Colonel Venable denies that any civilians were hurt by the use of this chemical.
Meanwhile many experts agree that if used as a weapon, white phosphorous would likely fall under chemical weapons.
