Reports from Human Rights Watch say that the Gadhafi regime has used some cluster munitions in the siege of the city of Misrata. The Libyan government has denied the allegations, but the reports were enough to spark international condemnation, particularly from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who termed the report “troubling.”
Cluster bombs have been criticized recently for their potential to cause massive civilian deaths long after their use, and sparked claims that Gadhafi was violating international law in using the “banned” munitions.
Which is ultimately untrue. Though there is a ban on cluster munitions which has entered into force, Libya is one of eight nations that are not signatories. Interestingly, the US also spurned the ban, and has used cluster bombs regularly in its own wars, including in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Indeed, US officials fought tooth and nail to weaken the ban on cluster munitions so other NATO member nations that did sign the ban could continue to participate in US-led wars in which the US was using such bombs.
In fact the reason cluster bombs have such an infamous reputation is because of the enormous death tolls caused in the recent US uses, as well as the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, during which the US “rushed” a shipment of cluster bombs to Israel before a ceasefire was agreed to. Such bombs have continued to kill and maim for years after their use.
The reports of use in Libya are so far comparatively isolated, but in a nation where the population is clustered around a few major cities and all the fighting is occuring in those cities, the use of the munitions could be a horrific humanitarian crisis.
Just as NATO starts throwing 500lb bombs into down-town Tripoli, causing many civilian casualties according to sources, the MSM waves reports of the use of cluster bombs by Gadaffi.
The US, UK and Israel are the largest users of cluster bombs and have rejected every attempt to ban them, indeed if cluster bombs are being used against civilians then it will be one of the aforementioned countries that no doubt sold such weapons to Libya in the first place, and share any responsibility for their miss-use.
OH NO! Libya is using "cluster bombs!" Of course and it's perfectly admissible that the US would be using depleted uranium weapons and that's wondrous. Boils down to a clear cut case of pot, kettle, black. I'm sort of STILL waiting on some manner of official "explanation" as to what, exactly, might be meant by 'humanitarian intervention'. Butchery is "humanitarian?" Wow and go figure.
When others use such munitions it becomes "troubling" but when the Empire engages in their use or even sells them to "friends" you can hear a pin drop. Hillary really needs to keep her pie hole shut.
let the propaganda begin!
This is outrageous! Only gringos and zionisti are allowed to use those thing-a-muh-bobs.
Gadhafi has a duty and obligation to defend the country from foreign invaders and domestic traitors and collaborators of the invaders.
This is how the French resistance defended France from Vichy and Nazis.
Spare us the irrelevant WWII analogies. In case it eluded you, the warmongers and invaders of today were the Allies of WWII.
How dare Gadhafi use Cluster Bombs.
Is this man mad?
Does he not know that only the USA and Isreal are permitted to use these munitions?
Damn and double damn. This man must be removed from power along with Obama and Bibi.
The US and Israel use cluster bombs as well, so why is this even a story? This Libyan adventure is so full of fail I don't even know where to begin.
Well I am troubled too! I saw the same movies as Hilary when I was a boy, in which some vile, tobacco-chewing, lying, buck-skinned traitor sold guns to the Indians. Sometimes the result was the wanton murder of innocent white settlers by those savages, and even of pure US soldiers who were out there trying to protect them. Horrifying, horrifying!
As soon as the story about Qaddafi using cluster bombs appeared, the propaganda/BS warning lights went on for me. I'm learning… however slowly!
In fact Human Rights Watch has a report saying the evidence is that the attacks on Misrata by Qaddafi's forces are closely targeting the armed forces of the 'rebels'/CIA/whatever-they-are. The city's population is about 400K and in 2 months, according to HRW, somewhere around 250 people, combatants and non-combatants, have been killed. Among hundreds of wounded there have been only a few women, whereas in 'indiscriminate' attacks you'd expect about half of the victims to be female.
Meanwhile of course the Imperial Stormtroopers are throwing around depleted uranium like it's going out of style.
What a lot of BS we're being told…