Octorber, 2001
by Depleted Uranium Center/ JAPAN(DUCJ)
On October 8, 2001, the US Forces started bombing Afghanistan. The pretext is in revenge of the September 11 incidents in the US (so-called simultaneous terrorist attacks) to destroy the suspected criminals, Osama bin Laden and Alcaida by using overwhelming military forces. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, a million refugees are suffering from hunger due to the economic sanctions having continued for a long time. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that, with food supply route cut off due to the war, the survival of 6,500,000 will be in danger this winter.
In Iraq, since the Gulf War, 1,500,000 people have been killed by the economic sanctions that have continued for 10 years. Due to depleted Uranium bombs, leukemia is very prevalent among children; many of them are dying with little medication available.
With the bombing started in Afghanistan, quite a few citizens have already been victimized. According to the US, they only attack military targets and Afghani citizens are not the enemies, but the reality is different. An NGO office for removing landmines was bombed, resulting in the casualty among its staff; some of good-will goods from the US land at land-mined areas, creating another dangerous situation.
Furthermore, our anxiety heightens to hear that the US Forces have started to attack Taliban troops including tank corps near the Pakistani border.
What has been repeatedly used by the US Army or US Allies is depleted uranium bombs. Of depleted uranium bombs, with uranium 238 as its main constituent, 310 tons were estimated to be used in the Gulf War and 11 tons in Bosnia Heltzgobina and Kosobo, causing serious damage on health and environment, and producing great many victims among the inhabitants and the soldiers of the allied forces.
Depleted Uranium bombs are the US Forces' standard weaponry, and often used for attacking tanks and underground facilities. In the Gulf War, they were used by ground troops to attack Iraqi tanks. The bombs were effective weapons to protect the allied forces from attacks, because they were able to destroy tanks before the bullets from the tanks reached them. In Kosobo they were mainly used for air strikes. Many were used as highly efficient weapons, as seen in a 30 mm machine gun bullet that destroyed a tank. In both cases, a destroyed tank flamed up immediately, and with the inside heat culminated in 3000 degrees centigrade it was burnt up completely. At this occasion, about 70 % of the depleted uranium used is supposed to have spread in particles. The depleted uranium dusts spread not only in the bombed area, but as far as the areas dozens of kilometers away. Its unexploded shells left untouched at these areas have also caused serious radioactive damage to the people there even after the war. From the chemical and radioacive points of view, uranium itself is a very dangerous toxicant, but without being warned of the fact, some of the inhabitants tried to earn bread by collecting scraps from the polluted tank remnants and became exposed to the radioactive stream. Children play with unexploded shells; some take one home as a memento. These also result in great many people suffering from the exposure.
In Afghanistan, depleted uranium bombs must have been used for the repeated air raid, and when the ground battle starts, they must be used by the ground forces.
At the United Nation Subcommittee for Human Rights, the resolution was adapted to prohibit the use of depleted uranium bombs as inhuman weaponry as well as nuclear weapons, cluster bombs, and vaporizing bombs. The US Forces have already used cluster bombs for its military operation. They even takes a position that the use of nuclear weapons may not be excluded.
Which justice will be done through the use of depleted uranium bombs and nuclear weapons? Such justice must have been terminated by the end of the 20th century, the century of war and death. Japan, which promises wholehearted support (Prime Minister Koizumi) to the U. S., the user of depleted uranium bombs, is an accomplice of the user of the inhuman weaponry. Japan, which experienced the misery of nuclear bombs and should firmly oppose whatever actions that serves to intensify nuclear damage, is going to join the US. in its nuclear offense.
Japan is preparing to revise laws in order to enable the transport of ammunition, thus supporting the US Forces. When the transport of ammunition becomes possible, the transport of depleted uranium bombs by Japan may also be realized. Therefore, Japan's participation in the warfare is nothing but an act of accomplice.
We request;