“Shake and Bake”

“The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect.”

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Jim Amos, who in 2003 “confirmed aircraft dropped what he and other Marines continue to call napalm on Iraqi troops on several occasions. He commanded Marine jet and helicopter units involved in the Iraq war and leads the Miramar-based 3rd Marine Air Wing.” – “Transferred to Washington.”

Alice Mahon, “a Labour parliamentarian from 1987 until a few months ago” when she stepped down in protest, went on to investigate her gov’t’s denial that coalition forces use napalm in Iraq. Thanks to her pesistence the U.S. did admit to using MK77 but continue to deny it was used in Fallujah. “The hypocrisy is absolutely stinking,” said Mahon, and about the U.S. specifically, “They go around lecturing the rest of the world on their rights and responsibilities and have taken note of what the U.N. said. Of course, they had a lot to say to the Iraqi government about obeying United Nations resolutions. They, themselves, think they are above it.”

More firebombs in production

Meanwhile, new documents discovered by the Iraq Analysis Group, an independent UK research group critical of UK humanitarian policy in Iraq, reveal that the US army has recently been stockpiling large quantities of new MK77 firebombs. Adam Ingram sought to reassure Labour MPs in a letter to Labour MP Harry Cohen last week that US forces had dropped MK77 firebombs only up to 21 April 2003. Nonetheless a Federal Procurement Solicitation issued on January 14 2004, and updated on June 7 2004, solicits manufacturers for a further 993 firebombs.[5]

Mike Lewis, a spokesperson for the Iraq Analysis Group, said:

“This evidence of new US stockpiling of firebombs adds to the Government’s embarrassment that its Coalition ally is using these internationally reviled weapons in Iraq. In trying to deny their horrendous napalm-type effects he has contradicted the statements of his own colleagues. If, as Dr Reid says, the UK is unwilling to use ‘anything that even approximates to what they were using’, then he should publicly restrain the US from using and stockpiling firebombs. Standing by while they are used in joint US/UK missions is simple hypocrisy.”

Fallujah Photos
Mark Rothschild makes two interesting discoveries. First, from the U.S. State Department’s “Truth Squad” (web site) that refers to white phosphorous as an “illuminator.” When Jeff Englehart, the former army Specialist featured in the RAI24 News documentary, “Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre“, described it as one during a debate moderated by Amy Goodman, the official military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan said Englehart was wrong and that white phosphorous is used as an “obscurant.” The “Truth Squad” also denied that WP is used as an anti-personnel weapon.

Rothschild’s second find comes from “The Fight for Fallujah” [.pdf] in the U.S. Army’s Field Artillery magazine, March-April 2005 edition.

a. Range of Munitions. The munitions at our disposal gave us excellent flexibility. ..

b. White Phosphorus. 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 when we could not get effects on them with HE [high explosive]. We fired ‘shake and bake’ missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out.

So whilst the Pentagon and State Dept. coordinate the official line, who’ll be bombed today? Has napalm ever taken a holiday?

As buermann said, “So many ways to incinerate human flesh by the most unpleasant means possible, so little time!”