Taliban using white phosphorus in Afghanistan
White phosphorus is a chemical that burns very hot and very bright. It's used by many militaries all over the world, primarily for illumination, to create lots of smoke, or to burn away foliage.
Now it's likely being used by the Taliban in Afghanistan as a weapon (the Taliban denies it). Poligazette points out how left-wing media sites, who worked themselves in such a frenzy over it's use by US forces in Fallujah or Israelis in Gaza, are notably quiet now.
But there is a misconception that the Times article perpetuates:
White phosphorus is banned as an offensive weapon under international rules of armed conflict.This is simply untrue. The only "international rules of armed conflict" is the 1949 Geneva Convention, and you could add the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention to that. White Phosphorus is not a banned munition under either treaty. It is also not listed in the schedule of Chemical Weapons. It is banned for use against civilian targets or when its used indiscriminately. However, that prohibition holds for EVERY weapon in existence, from guns to steak knives. That's nothing particularly special about WP in this regard. However, people confuse this distinction and I often still see the canard that it’s an illegal weapon.
It doesn't disperse and kill indiscriminately like poison gas. It also doesn't persist and kill passersby like booby traps or land mines. In fact, it really doesn't work very well as a weapon. True, it can burn through you right down to the bone, but if you have a minimum of cover or body protection, it won’t do much damage. A bullet or a bomb is much more certain way to kill.
Yes, it When the US used it in Fallujah in the “shake and bake” operations, it was used to create lots of smoke to force enemies out of their hiding places. It was not used as the killing weapon.
If the Taliban are resorting to WP, it may even be a good thing. That means that they are running out of proper weapons to use. Click here to continue reading...
