Rights group: Syria using cluster bombs
Human Rights Watch released video that appeared to show cluster bomb munitions fired by Syrian government forces. / Human Rights Watch
AMMAN, Jordan Syrian government forces appear to have recently made use of cluster bombs, weapons banned by most countries because of the danger they pose to civilians, a New York-based rights watchdog said Sunday.
Human Rights Watch said in a report that Syrian activists posted at least 18 videos on Oct. 9-12 showing remnants of the bombs in or near several towns, which included the central city of Homs, the northern cities of Idlib and Aleppo, the countryside in Latakia, and the Eastern Ghouta district near the capital Damascus. Many were on a north-south highway that has been the scene of fighting in recent days.
Cluster bombs are of particular concern because they scatter small bomblets over a wide area. Many bomblets do not immediately explode, posing a threat to civilians for long afterward.
Human Rights Watch said the munitions in the video were Soviet-made. Before its collapse, the Soviet Union was a major arms supplier to Syria.
It is nearly impossible to independently verify such reports in Syria, where journalists' movement is restricted and the government keeps a tight-lid on news related to the revolt, which it blames on a foreign conspiracy.
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"Syria's disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping these deadly cluster bombs into populated areas," said Steve Goose, the group's arms director.
He said cluster bombs "have been comprehensively banned by most nations, and Syria should immediately stop all use of these indiscriminate weapons that continue to kill and maim for years."
The report said the cluster bomb canisters and submunitions displayed in the videos "all show damage and wear patterns produced by being mounted on and dropped from an aircraft." Some residents confirmed in interviews that helicopters dropped cluster bombs near their homes on October 9, the group said.
The group did not have information if the munitions had caused any casualties casualties.
Human Rights Watch "is deeply concerned by the risks posed by the unexploded submunitions to the civilian population, as men and even children can be seen in the videos handling the unexploded submunitions in life-threatening ways," according to the report.
HRW said it had confirmed that the fragments shown in the videos were RBK-250 series cluster bomb canisters and AO-1SCh fragmentation bomblets.
The military publisher Jane's Information Group lists Syria as possessing Soviet-made RBK-250 cluster bombs, the report said. It said there was no information available on Syria's acquisition of the weapons.
Human Rights Watch had previously reported cluster bomb remnants found in Homs and nearby Hama this summer.
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I will repeat it a third time!
America does not target innocent civilians!
_______________________
And I will say this for the first and FINAL time: YES WE DAMNED WELL DO!
We do target innocent civilians by using HUGE bombs in populated areas where we KNOW that civilians live along with the people who we are fighting against.
That is no more nor less than BLUNTLY targeting civilians.
A line from every star wars movie comes to mind:
I've got a baaad feeling about this.
What makes you think there are innocent civilians in Syria?either they are with the Regime or against it.
So you are saying no matter who they are, they are guilty?
Guilty of what?
I will repeat it a third time!
-----------
Translation: "Although I have no proof to support my position, my fingers remain lodged firmly in my ears."