Biden disregards US law and international treaty, allows Ukraine access to banned ‘cluster bombs’.

President Joe Biden Promises to Supply Ukraine with Cluster Bombs, Drawing Criticism

President Joe Biden has reportedly promised to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs, drawing strong rebukes from human rights groups who warn of the potential for civilian deaths. The decision to provide Ukraine with M864 artillery shells fired from 155mm howitzers, as part of Biden’s $800 million military aid package, has sparked controversy.

Cluster munitions will be used extremely carefully, specifically to minimize risks to civilians – White House pic.twitter.com/7NEHPGhOKc

— Spriter Team (@SpriterTeam) July 7, 2023

Cluster munitions, which splinter into smaller submunitions known as “bomblets,” cover a large area. However, concerns arise due to the high failure rate of cluster bombs, as they often fail to detonate upon impact and become dangerous land mines for unsuspecting civilians. These unexploded bomblets, or “duds,” can remain active for decades.

Cluster bombs are canisters that carry dozens of smaller bombs.

While they are designed to explode on impact, as many as 30% do not, making them a risk to civilians for years.

Over 90% of recorded cluster bomb casualties are civilians, of which nearly half are children.

The… pic.twitter.com/ZLsVljnyMn

— Joshua Reed Eakle (@JoshEakle) July 7, 2023

While modern cluster munitions supplied to Ukraine have been designed to reduce the number of duds, their use may still violate U.S. law. Testing in 2020 showed that the Pentagon had managed to keep the dud rate below 2.35 percent. However, since 2017, Congress has prohibited the use of cluster munitions with a failure rate exceeding 1 percent.

Cluster bombs have been banned in over 100 countries that have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions. However, the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have not made the same commitment.

Both Russia and Ukraine have reportedly used cluster munitions during their ongoing conflict, resulting in civilian casualties. Russia deployed cluster bombs at least 16 times last year, causing numerous deaths and injuries among civilians, according to Human Rights Watch. Similarly, Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions in Russian-controlled areas has resulted in civilian deaths and injuries.

Last year Jen Psaki said Russia using cluster bombs was a war crime

Today the Biden Admin is sending cluster bombs to Ukraine pic.twitter.com/3mAzjJliiM

— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec) July 7, 2023

Human Rights Watch has called for both sides to cease using cluster munitions and for the U.S. to halt its supply of these weapons. The Cluster Munition Coalition, dedicated to eradicating cluster bombs, has expressed shock and disapproval of the United States’ decision to transfer banned cluster munitions to Ukraine.

“The Biden administration’s decision to transfer cluster munitions will contribute to the terrible casualties suffered by Ukrainian civilians both immediately and in the years to come,” said Paul Hannon, vice chairman of the coalition’s governance board. “Russia and Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions only adds to Ukraine’s already massive contamination from explosive remnants and landmines.”

The post Biden Grants Ukraine Banned ‘Cluster Bombs’ – Defies US Law and International Human Rights Treaty appeared first on The Western Journal.

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