It's the kind of thing that makes you sick. Horrific phosphorous weapons were used by US forces in their campaign against Fallujah.

The Heretik has covered this, as have others.

But now there's proof.

Now there's video [windows media].

The Independent reports:

On 10 November last year, the Islam Online website wrote: "US troops are reportedly using chemical weapons and poisonous gas in its large-scale offensive on the Iraqi resistance bastion of Fallujah, a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein's alleged gassing of the Kurds in 1988."

The website quoted insurgent sources as saying: "The US occupation troops are gassing resistance fighters and confronting them with internationally banned chemical weapons."

In December the US government formally denied the reports, describing them as "widespread myths". "Some news accounts have claimed that US forces have used 'outlawed' phosphorus shells in Fallujah," the USinfo website said. "Phosphorus shells are not outlawed. US forces have used them very sparingly in Fallujah, for illumination purposes.

"They were fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night, not at enemy fighters."

But now new information has surfaced, including hideous photographs and videos and interviews with American soldiers who took part in the Fallujah attack, which provides graphic proof that phosphorus shells were widely deployed in the city as a weapon.

What do phosphorous chemical weapons do?

"Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the way down to the bone ... I saw the burned bodies of women and children. Phosphorus explodes and forms a cloud. Anyone within a radius of 150 metres is done for."

Photographs on the website of RaiTG24, the broadcaster's 24-hours news channel, www.rainews24.it, show exactly what the former soldier means. Provided by the Studies Centre of Human Rights in Fallujah, dozens of high-quality, colour close-ups show bodies of Fallujah residents, some still in their beds, whose clothes remain largely intact but whose skin has been dissolved or caramelised or turned the consistency of leather by the shells.

A biologist in Fallujah, Mohamad Tareq, interviewed for the film, says: "A rain of fire fell on the city, the people struck by this multi-coloured substance started to burn, we found people dead with strange wounds, the bodies burned but the clothes intact."

These are the kinds of weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein was supposed to have, the kinds of weapons he used on the Kurds many years ago, the kinds of weapons that we were invading Iraq to seize to prevent their use.

Little did we humble American citizens know that we have our own chemical weapons with which to rain horrific death upon civilian populations. Little did we know that our own military was waging this kind of war.

The Heretik writes:

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RECONCILE phosphorus shot into the air at night for illumination purposes with people burnt in their beds. The United States is the only country in the world that currently has MK 77 in its arsenal. The use of white phospohorous against civilians and any use of MK 77 are forbidden by an international treaty the United States refuses to sign. [Note: quoted text corrected 2005.11.9]

This is done in our name? This is how we lead by example? This is how we spread democracy and freedom throughout the world?

Read the rest of The Heretik's piece. There are more links.

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