HRW: ’IS’ Using Cluster Bombs

Local Editor

The so-called "Islamic State" extremists have used cluster munitions in Syria in at least one location, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

The New York-based group, citing reports from local Kurdish officials and photographic evidence, said "IS" fighters had used cluster bombs on July 12 and August 14.

They were deployed in fighting around the town of Ayn al-Arab in Aleppo province, near the border with Turkey, in clashes between the extremist group and local Kurdish fighters.

The group said it was believed to be the first time "IS" had used cluster bombs, and it was unclear how it had acquired them.

Cluster munitions contain dozens or hundreds of small bomblets and can be fired in rockets or dropped from the air.
They spread explosives over large areas and are indiscriminate in nature, often continuing to maim and kill long after the initial attack when previously unexploded bomblets detonate.

"Any use of cluster munitions deserves condemnation, but the best response is for all nations to join the treaty banning them and work collectively to rid the world of these weapons," said HRW arms division director Steve Goose.

He further added: "The UN Security Council should impose an arms embargo on the Syrian government and other armed groups that commit systematic or widespread rights abuses."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team