U.S. Soldiers follow an Iraqi man to a water treatment facility in Shamiyah, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2009 (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)
Jun 20, 2014
The United States fired depleted uranium weapons in Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 wars and failed to fully disclose information about contamination to Iraqi civilians or clean up the dangerous mess, a report released Friday by Dutch peace organization Pax reveals.
The information was obtained from the Dutch Ministry of Defense through a Freedom of Information Act request, and it shows the coordinates of where the UU.S. military forces fired DU weapons.
The report notes that the UK also had a hand in DU deployments. "Conservative estimates suggest that more than 440,000kg of DU was fired in both Gulf Wars in 1991 and 2003 by the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) armed forces," writes report author Wim Zwijnenburg.
The report reveals that a "considerable number" of DU rounds were fired "in or near" areas populated with civilians, including Samawah, Nasiriyah, and Basrah.
Zwijnenburg notes:
Coalition Forces were reluctant to extend their clean-up operations beyond their own bases, or to share information on DU with the Iraqi government. Together with the Iraqi government's limited technical capacity and low prioritization of the problem, this has led to the ineffective management of DU contaminated scrap. These factors have significantly increased the likelihood of civilian exposure to DU; they have led to contaminated scrap being exported to neighboring countries; the improper management and monitoring of scrap metal collection sites; and to DU destroyed tanks and other military wreckage being left in city centers, towns and villages, with local people stripping them for valuable parts and children using them as playground.
Furthermore, there is no long-term strategy for removing the highly toxic and radioactive material.
"Iraqi civilians have been forced to live and work in a contaminated environment. Communities and medical professionals have reported an increase in health problems, problems readily associated with exposure to conflict pollutants," states the report. "What then, has been the impact of the use and inadequate management of DU on both the health and psycho-social well-being of Iraqi civilians?"
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The United States fired depleted uranium weapons in Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 wars and failed to fully disclose information about contamination to Iraqi civilians or clean up the dangerous mess, a report released Friday by Dutch peace organization Pax reveals.
The information was obtained from the Dutch Ministry of Defense through a Freedom of Information Act request, and it shows the coordinates of where the UU.S. military forces fired DU weapons.
The report notes that the UK also had a hand in DU deployments. "Conservative estimates suggest that more than 440,000kg of DU was fired in both Gulf Wars in 1991 and 2003 by the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) armed forces," writes report author Wim Zwijnenburg.
The report reveals that a "considerable number" of DU rounds were fired "in or near" areas populated with civilians, including Samawah, Nasiriyah, and Basrah.
Zwijnenburg notes:
Coalition Forces were reluctant to extend their clean-up operations beyond their own bases, or to share information on DU with the Iraqi government. Together with the Iraqi government's limited technical capacity and low prioritization of the problem, this has led to the ineffective management of DU contaminated scrap. These factors have significantly increased the likelihood of civilian exposure to DU; they have led to contaminated scrap being exported to neighboring countries; the improper management and monitoring of scrap metal collection sites; and to DU destroyed tanks and other military wreckage being left in city centers, towns and villages, with local people stripping them for valuable parts and children using them as playground.
Furthermore, there is no long-term strategy for removing the highly toxic and radioactive material.
"Iraqi civilians have been forced to live and work in a contaminated environment. Communities and medical professionals have reported an increase in health problems, problems readily associated with exposure to conflict pollutants," states the report. "What then, has been the impact of the use and inadequate management of DU on both the health and psycho-social well-being of Iraqi civilians?"
_____________________
The United States fired depleted uranium weapons in Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 wars and failed to fully disclose information about contamination to Iraqi civilians or clean up the dangerous mess, a report released Friday by Dutch peace organization Pax reveals.
The information was obtained from the Dutch Ministry of Defense through a Freedom of Information Act request, and it shows the coordinates of where the UU.S. military forces fired DU weapons.
The report notes that the UK also had a hand in DU deployments. "Conservative estimates suggest that more than 440,000kg of DU was fired in both Gulf Wars in 1991 and 2003 by the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) armed forces," writes report author Wim Zwijnenburg.
The report reveals that a "considerable number" of DU rounds were fired "in or near" areas populated with civilians, including Samawah, Nasiriyah, and Basrah.
Zwijnenburg notes:
Coalition Forces were reluctant to extend their clean-up operations beyond their own bases, or to share information on DU with the Iraqi government. Together with the Iraqi government's limited technical capacity and low prioritization of the problem, this has led to the ineffective management of DU contaminated scrap. These factors have significantly increased the likelihood of civilian exposure to DU; they have led to contaminated scrap being exported to neighboring countries; the improper management and monitoring of scrap metal collection sites; and to DU destroyed tanks and other military wreckage being left in city centers, towns and villages, with local people stripping them for valuable parts and children using them as playground.
Furthermore, there is no long-term strategy for removing the highly toxic and radioactive material.
"Iraqi civilians have been forced to live and work in a contaminated environment. Communities and medical professionals have reported an increase in health problems, problems readily associated with exposure to conflict pollutants," states the report. "What then, has been the impact of the use and inadequate management of DU on both the health and psycho-social well-being of Iraqi civilians?"
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.