cluster bombs the military effectiveness and impact on civilians of cluster munitions
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summary
I went with my cousins to see the place where NATO
bombed. As we walked I saw something yellow – someone
told us it was a cluster bomb. One of us took it and put it
into a well. Nothing happened. Later I went back to the
bomb and put it in this position [vertical]. We began talking
about taking the bomb to play with and then I just put it
somewhere and it exploded. The boy near me died and I
was thrown a metre in the air. The boy who died was 14 – he
had his head cut off. I was near him and another boy tried to
help me.
13-year-old boy in Pristina Hospital,
having undergone a double leg amputation
Recently the use of cluster bombs by NATO forces during
Operation ‘Allied Force’ in Kosovo focused the world’s
attention on the weapon. But cluster bombs have been
used widely in the past 50 years, and have become part of a
widely accepted military strategy and a growing source of
revenue for many weapon manufacturers. Recognition has
also grown of a characteristic of cluster bombs that makes
them different to others; their propensity to cause post-
conflict casualties among civilians. In Kosovo, NATO cluster
bombs are estimated to have killed or injured more than
200 people in twelve months. But unlike landmines, cluster
weapons are not designed to be long lasting or victim
activated; it is their failure to always act as designed that
leads to civilian casualties.
This UK Working Group on Landmines report assesses the
military effectiveness of cluster bombs and their impact on
civilians. It describes the types of cluster munitions and
looks at their use and impact in a number of conflicts
including Laos, the Gulf War and Kosovo. The report
concludes by making recommendations about changes to
international law to prevent future civilian casualties.
Types of cluster bombs and their uses
All cluster weapons consist of two primary elements: a
container or dispenser; and submunitions, often called
bomblets.
The container can be