Rights group warns US-led force on phosphorus use
The Human Rights Watch organisation yesterday urged the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq to protect civilians from the effects of white phosphorus.
The statement comes after several instances in which the US-led coalition has deployed the munition in the fight against IS in Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Raqa city.
"No matter how white phosphorus is used, it poses a high risk of horrific and long-lasting harm in crowded cities," said HRW arms director Steve Goose.
"US-led forces should take all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm when using white phosphorus in Iraq and Syria."
White phosphorus can be used to create a smoke screen or as a battlefield marker, but it can also be deployed as a deadly incendiary weapon, a use prohibited under international law.
Last week striking images shared by activists and the Islamic State group showed white phosphorus being used over Raqa city, where a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters is battling to oust the jihadists.
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