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United States / Afghanistan December 2002 Vol. 14, No. 7 (G) UNITED STATES / AFGHANISTAN FATALLY FLAWED: CLUSTER BOMBS AND THEIR USE BY THE UNITED STATES IN AFGHANISTAN Acronyms Used In Report........................................................................................................................................ iii I. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................................................................1 Methodology ..........................................................................................................................................................3 Outline of Report....................................................................................................................................................3 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................................4 To minimize the humanitarian harm of cluster bombs during strikes ................................................................4 To minimize the aftereffects of cluster bombs ...................................................................................................4 To improve clearance .........................................................................................................................................4 To develop better cluster bomb controls for the future ......................................................................................5 II. WHAT ARE CLUSTER BOMBS?.......................................................................................................................6 III. CONCERNS ABOUT CLUSTER BOMBS ........................................................................................................8 Humanitarian Problems..........................................................................................................................................8 Cluster Bombs and International Humanitarian Law ...........................................................................................10 Proposed Cluster Bomb Protocol: CCW Process .................................................................................................13 IV. CLUSTER BOMB USE IN AFGHANISTAN ..................................................................................................15 The War in Afghanistan .......................................................................................................................................15 Public Debate over Cluster Bombs.......................................................................................................................16 V. TARGETING, OR IMMEDIATE EFFECTS .....................................................................................................20 Military Bases and Frontlines...............................................................................................................................20 Controversial Targets: Cluster Bombs in Villages ...............................................................................................21 Ainger...............................................................................................................................................................21 Ishaq Suleiman .................................................................................................................................................21 Qala Shater .......................................................................................................................................................23 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................................................23 VI. AFTEREFFECTS...............................................................................................................................................25 Civilian Casualties from Duds..............................................................................................................................25 Socioeconomic Impact .........................................................................................................................................28 Military Impact.....................................................................................................................................................29 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................................................30 VII. CLEARANCE EFFORTS ................................................................................................................................32 Cluster Clearance in Afghanistan.........................................................................................................................32 Clearance Difficulties and Dangers......................................................................................................................34 Awareness (Risk Education) Programs ................................................................................................................35 U.S. Role ..............................................................................................................................................................36 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................................................38 i VIII. PRIOR U.S. USE OF CLUSTER BOMBS.....................................................................................................40 The Gulf War........................................................................................................................................................40 Yugoslavia............................................................................................................................................................41 Afghanistan: Lessons Learned and Not Learned..................................................................................................42 Conclusion: Lessons for the Future......................................................................................................................43 APPENDIX: CLUSTER BOMB INCIDENTS........................................................................................................44 Central Region (Shomali Plain)............................................................................................................................44 Northern Region (area around Kunduz and Mazar-i-Sharif)................................................................................45 Southern Region (area around Kandahar) ............................................................................................................46 Western Region (area around Herat)....................................................................................................................46 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................................................................51 ii ACRONYMS USED IN REPORT AFMC Air Force Materiel Command ATC Afghan Technical Consultants BLU Bomb live unit, referring in this report to a BLU-97 BLU-97 Submunition of CBU-87 and CBU-103, which has anti-armor, antipersonnel, and incendiary capability CBU Cluster bomb unit, referring in this report to a CBU-87 or CBU-103 CBU-87 U.S.-made cluster bomb containing 202 submunitions, or bomblets CBU-103 CBU-87 with a WCMD attached to the rear to increase accuracy CCW Convention on Conventional Weapons CEP Circular error probable ERW Explosive remnants of war DAFA Demining Agency for Afghanistan DoD U.S. Department of Defense EOD Explosive ordnance disposal GWAPS Gulf War Air Power Survey GPS Global positioning system ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross ICBL International Campaign To Ban Landmines IDP Internally displaced persons IHL International humanitarian law JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition MAPA U.N. Mine Action Program for Afghanistan MDC Mine Detection Dog Center MCPA Mine Clearance Planning Agency NGO Nongovernmental organization OMAR Organization for Mine Awareness and Afghan Rehabilitation RMAC Regional Mine Action Center TMD Tactical munitions dispenser UNHCR U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees UXO Unexploded ordnance WCMD Wind corrected munitions dispenser Human Rights Watch iii December 2002, Vol. 14, No. 7 (G) I. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS On October 7, 2001, the United States launched an air campaign in Afghanistan that represented the beginning of its worldwide war on terrorism. The campaign sought to destroy al-Qaeda, the international terrorist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., and the Taliban, Afghanistan’s oppressive fundamentalist regime which had sheltered al-Qaeda. In addition to precision guided munitions and traditional unguided “dumb” bombs, the U.S. arsenal included cluster bombs, large weapons that release hundreds of smaller submunitions, or bomblets. While cluster bombs have military value because they can destroy broad or moving targets, they also have serious civilian side effects. Human Rights Watch and others have criticized the bombs’ large and imprecise “footprints” (the areas over which bomblets disperse) as well as the fact that they leave large numbers of unexploded submunitions that become de facto landmines. Their use in Afghanistan renewed this
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