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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 7/7/11

Widespread NATO Use of Depleted Uranium Munitions in Libya

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DU's density enables it easily to penetrate targets and destroy them. They're solid missiles, bombs, shells and bullets, weighing up to 5,000 pounds in a single "bunker buster" bomb. 

Using solid DU projectiles or warheads, they're used in all US war theaters, including indiscriminately against civilian targets. They're de facto nuclear bombs, what major media reports won't explain and Pentagon officials deny. 

First developed by the Navy in 1968, Israel tested them under US supervision during the 1973 Yom Kippur War (http://www.laka.org/docu/boeken/pdf/1-01-2-12-19.pdf). 

Later they were sold to 29 or more countries but never used until the 1991 Gulf War when America broke an international prohibition. Thereafter, thousands of tons contaminated air, water and soil in target zones and well beyond.

Although no international convention or treaty bans them, they're de facto and de jure illegal under the 1907 Hague Convention, prohibiting "poison or poisoned weapons" use. Also, under the 1925 Geneva Protocol, as well as later Geneva and other conventions, specifically banning chemical, biological, and other poisoned weapons.

In all forms, DU is radioactive and chemically toxic, thus conforming to Hague's poisonous weapons definition. Using them is thus a war crime.

Moreover, their use also meets the U.S. federal code definition of "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) in 2 of 3 categories:

[The US CODE, TITLE 50, CHAPTER 40, SECTION 2302 defines a Weapon of Mass Destruction as follows:  

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