Shake and Bake: The Use of White Phosphorous in Iraq
On October 11, 2002, the United States Senate passed House Joint Resolution 114 by a vote of 77-23, giving President Bush authority to use military force against Iraq. The early operations in Fallujah, in late April of 2003, were plagued by spiraling violence. Demonstrators who broke curfew were fired upon, 17 were killed. (Fallujah is also the location of the infamous insurgent attack against Blackwater contractors: four contractors were killed and their bodies burnt, drug through the streets and hung from a bridge.) To quell the rising violence, US forces initiated a crackdown in November of 2004, during which they allegedly employed white phosphorus.
White Phosphorous (WP) is a yellow-white waxy substance used in explosive rounds as an illuminator and smoke screen. When exposed to air, white phosphorus explodes into phosphorus pentoxide and, in moist air, forms phosphoric acid. Effects on humans range from irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes to “deep and painful” “extensive” “chemical burn injuries.” If flakes of white phosphorus should alight on human skin, they continue to burn through the flesh, unimpeded by water, and can melt straight through to the bone (Global Security).
The allegation that white phosphorus was used in Fallujah was originally very contentious. In November of 2005, the documentary “Fallujah: Hidden Massacre” aired on Italian state television. The documentary alleged not only that white phosphorus had been used in the battle for Fallujah, but also that Iraqi civilians, including women and children, had been killed. The documentary relied on the testimony of numerous observers and at least one hospital official that stayed behind during the siege to treat the wounded.
The Pentagon first denied the reports outright, saying that white phosphorus had not been used (Buncombe). Later, they amended their statement to say that the weapon was used “very sparingly” and for “illumination purposes” (Rothschild).
Soon after, an article from a military magazine surfaced on the Internet. The article was entitled “Fight for Fallujah” and was published in March-April 2005 issue of Field Artillery magazine, published by the United States Army. In the article, three US soldiers—a captain, a first lieutenant, and a sergeant—describe the effectiveness of white phosphorus in the siege of Fallujah. They recall that
WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes… We fired ‘shake and bake’ missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out (Rothschild).
A further report surfaced from North County News, a San Diego newspaper. Darrin Mortenson gave an account of the shelling of the city. His account contradicted the article published in Field Artillery, implying that white phosphorus and HE where fired simultaneously and indiscriminately:
[Corporal Nicholas] Bogert is a mortar team leader who directed his men to fire round after round of high explosives and white phosphorus charges into the city Friday and Saturday, never knowing what the targets were or what damage the resulting explosions caused (Mortenson).
And again:
The boom kicked dust around the pit as they ran through the drill again and again, sending a mixture of burning white phosphorus and high explosives they call “shake ‘n’ bake” into a cluster of buildings where insurgents have been spotted all week. They say they have never seen what they’ve hit, nor did they talk about it… [One soldier] said no one has told him what the charges have hit (Mortenson).
Finally, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Barry Venable admitted that white phosphorous was used in Iraq as “fire at the enemy” (Buncombe) and “directly against Iraqi insurgents” (Shane). The New York Times quoted Venable as saying, “It’s perfectly legitimate to use this stuff against enemy combatants” (Shane). Whether that’s actually the case is a question for the international community to consider.
Sources
- Buncombe, Andrew and Hughes, Solomon. The Fog of War: White Phosphorus, Fallujah, and Some Burning Questions. November 15, 2005. Independent via Commondreams.org.
- Buncombe, Andrew; Sengupta, Kim; and Brown, Colin. Incendiary weapons: The big white lie. The Independent. November 17, 2005.
- Global Security.org. White Phosphorus (WP).
- Mortenson, Darrin. Violence subsides for Marines in Fallujah. North County Times. April 10, 2004.
- The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War. House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff. Published by the office of John Conyers, D-MI on December 20, 2005.
- Rothschild, Mark. Who’s Misinforming Whom About White Phosphorus?. November 11, 2005. AntiWar.com.
- Shane, Scott; Fisher, Ian. Defense of Phosphorus Use Turns Into Damage Control. New York Times. November 21, 2005.
