Report: Iraq used barrel bombs in Anbar province attack

Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Iraq has become the second Middle East state to employ barrel bombs, a human rights group said.

Human Rights Watch has determined that Iraq was deploying barrel bombs in its effort to quell the Sunni revolt in the Anbar province.

Iraq's military is said to have used barrel bombs in a recent attack on rebels in Falluja.
Iraq’s military is said to have used barrel bombs in a recent attack on rebels in Falluja.

The New York-based organization said Iraq’s U.S.-equipped military has been using
barrel bombs along with mortars and other munitions in attacks on civilian
facilities, including the hospital in rebel-held Falluja.

“Since early May, government forces have also dropped barrel bombs on
residential neighborhoods of Falluja and surrounding areas, part of an
intensified campaign against armed opposition groups, including the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant,” HRW said. “These indiscriminate attacks have
caused civilian casualties and forced thousands of residents to flee.”

This marked the first report of the spread of barrel bombs beyond Syria.
Over the last year, Syrian Air Force helicopters have been
dropping barrel bombs — containers filled with explosives and shrapnel —
on Sunni rebel strongholds.

HRW did not say where the barrel bombs came from. Iraq has become an
ally of neighboring Iran, deemed the leading supporter of the war by Syrian
President Bashar Assad against the rebels, which began in 2011.

In a report on May 27, HRW quoted an Anbar security official as saying
that the Iraq Army has been dropping barrel bombs from helicopters on Falluja
since May 2. Three Falluja residents also testified to barrel bomb attacks
from Iraqi helicopters. The Iraqi government has denied the use of barrel
bombs.

“They started using them [barrel bombs] because they want to cause as
much destruction as possible,” the unidentified security official said. “My
government decided to destroy the city instead of trying to invade it.”

HRW said the United States has been a leading supporter of Iraq’s effort
to quell the Sunni revolt. Washington has provided the Iraq Army with AH-64
Apache attack helicopters, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and unmanned aerial
vehicles. The U.S. military has also sent advisers to enhance Baghdad’s
offensive.

“The United States in particular, which has sent military aid including
Hellfire missiles, ammunition and surveillance drones to the Iraqi
government since the Anbar conflict began, should warn Iraq that it risks
losing military assistance if its unlawful attacks do not cease,” HRW said.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login