"The Syrian army does not possess this kind of bomb," the army said in a
statement. "Such reports are baseless and a part of a disinformation
campaign."
In a detailed report issued Sunday and based on videos posted on line,
Human Rights Watch said there is a growing array of evidence that Syrian
government forces are using the bombs.
“Cluster munitions are prohibited around the world through a
cluster-munitions treaty, but Syria appears to be using them," said
David Mepham, an analyst at Human Rights Watch. "The evidence that we
have suggests that these cluster munitions came from the Soviet era.
They’re a type of bomb canister and a type of bomblet that was
manufactured in that part of the world.
"What we don’t know is when they were transferred to Syria, whether
they have been sitting in the Syrian stockpile for the last 20-plus
years, or whether they were transferred more recently,” he said.
Russian denial
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Belgium
that the Syrian government is not using cluster munitions from Russia,
adding "there are loads of weapons in this region...and arms are
supplied there in large quantities and illegally."
Human Rights Watch said the videos tell a different story.
On one video, a Syrian helicopter hovers over Taftanaz in Idlib
province – and drops a bomb on the village. Human Rights said the
separation as it falls, and the multiple explosions from the bomblets
contained inside, show it is a cluster bomb.
The video, said to be taken last week, is part of a series posted online. They are impossible to verify.
Other videos show remains of bomb casings and a man displaying a
collection of bomblets in Talbiseh near Homs. Another video, shot in
Deir Ezzor province, appears to show a child playing with an unexploded
bomblet – one of the biggest dangers, Mepham said.
“If they don’t detonate they spray over a large area of territory, a
series of sort of smaller bomblets that often look quite shiny and
metallic, and children often pick them up and say, what’s this thing
we’ve discovered, it’s a piece of ordinance," he said. "But then
actually, on picking it up and touching it, they can detonate.”
Opposition targeted
Human Rights Watch says many of the bombing targets were near the main
highway that runs between Damascus and the second city, Aleppo.
Government and rebel forces are battling for control of the key route.
The opposition Free Syrian Army claims it has taken the town of Maarat
Al Numan. That would enable it to cut off a key supply route for the
capital. FSA fighters claim this is the start of a bigger offensive in
the area.
But the rebels remain heavily outgunned. Fighter jets and helicopters pose a constant threat.
Mepham said he fears the Syrian government forces may resort to even more lethal weaponry.
“Some months ago we documented the fact that the Syrian forces were
laying land mines on the very routes that people were using to escape
the country, to cross the borders," he said. "The use of cluster
munitions is a further development. It’s very worrying."
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