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The apparent U-turn by the Pentagon over DU use by aircraft in Operation Inherent Resolve has been cautiously welcomed by campaigners, but is it a sign of a wider policy shift? Is the threshold of acceptability for the use of DU in operations rising in response to international pressure over the controversial munitions and what part has the A-10 played in this?
The Pentagon has announced that depleted uranium (DU) munitions have not, and will not, be used by US aircraft in the conflict against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The policy U-turn contrasts with statements made over previous months, where Pentagon officials claimed that DU would be used if needed; the decision reflects a growing stigmatisation of the controversial weapons.
The news that US A-10 gunships are now also active in Syria in operations against Islamic State has coincided with the emergence of reports that Syrian civilians fear the long-term health impact of the Coalition’s airstrikes.
Canada’s new Foreign Minister Rob Nicholson has claimed that Canada has been leading global efforts on the non-proliferation of DU weapons, among other things, but does this claim bear scrutiny?
Prof. Manfred Mohr of ICBUW Germany on the life and work of Prof. Siegwart-Horst Günther, the father of the anti-uranium-weapons movement in Germany, who died earlier this month.
Stories about the effect of depleted uranium on the environment
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been evading an international ban on dumping radioactive waste at sea by defining thousands of uranium weapons lost in the Solway Firth as “placements”.13 March 2013 - Rob Edwards
- ICBUW is seeking an energetic and committed intern to help support two strands of our research and advocacy work for six months.30 April 2012 - ICBUW
- CADU event in London to mark the 2011 Day of Action on DU
- Britain’s Defence Minister Dr Liam Fox has acknowledged that the MoD does not consider that depleted uranium weapons are 'safe' but denies that they have any health or environmental impact.4 March 2011 - ICBUW
- Ahead of the forthcoming vote in the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary General has published a second report on uranium weapons. The report compiles responses from countries and UN agencies in response to a request in the 2008 General Assembly resolution19 October 2010
- New ICBUW reportA report examining user transparency, the capacity of states to manage depleted uranium contamination and the development of heath studies, seen through the experiences of Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo.
- We profile the UK's enrichment plant, and the plans to store radioactive waste there at least 150 years30 October 2008
- Could relatives of the humble toadstool be useful in DU decontamination?30 May 2008
- Environment minister claims Serbia is now DU free, but as NATO has only released targeting data for Kosovo, rather than the rest of the country, contaminated areas may still exist30 May 2008
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