Weapons used in Aleppo are devastating for civilians

LONDON — Syrian and Russian air strikes on Aleppo have prompted accusations of war crimes over claims they involve sophisticated weaponry that can have a devastating effect in residential areas. > Bunker busters: named for their use in penetrating hardened targets such as underground military headquarters. > Incendiary weapons: used to start fires, including materials such as napalm and white phosphorous, which can cause severe burns if they come into contact with skin. > Thermobaric bombs, also known as fuel-air explosives, set a fire that sucks the oxygen out of underground spaces and burns everything in its path. > Cluster munitions: internationally-banned weapons that release smaller submunitions or “bomblets” over a wider area. > Barrel bombs: unguided, improvised weapons with a wide impact, often made from an oil drum filled with explosives and metal fragments and dropped from the air.

“The use of weapons in armed conflict falls under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the direct targeting of civilians and prohibits indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks,” said Hannah Bryce, assistant head of International Security at the Chatham House think tank. “The issue with many of the explosive weapons being used in Syria and in Aleppo is their use in residential areas where there is a high civilian population.”

She added: “The issue however is complicated when military targets are located within civilian areas.”

Bryce quoted a report by the NGO Action on Armed Violence which found that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 92 per cent of those killed and injured are civilians.

They also often destroy critical infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities, sanitation, water and power supplies. —