If there is evidence that during the attack on Syria, weapons of mass destruction with white phosphorus were used, then such barbaric actions must be punished, said military expert Anton Utkin. He explained in an interview for the News.ru online publication why white phosphorus is prohibited and what action this substance has.
Utkin believes that such weapons do not belong to the chemical class, but to the incendiary type of weapon.
"White phosphorus, when interacting with oxygen, reaches temperatures of more than 1000 degrees," says Utkin.
Warheads with white phosphorus are used to destroy defensive structures. Such a weapon burns everything in its path, including humans. Its use in human settlements should be completely excluded.
"When in contact with the skin, a very serious burn is formed, which is extremely dangerous and hardly heals," the military expert added.
Back in 1949, additions were made to the Geneva Convention, which completely forbade the use of white phosphorus. The document was not signed by the United States of America and Israel.
Anton Utkin suggests that white phosphorus munitions are available to many military structures in various countries, because there were no conventions for the destruction of such weapons.
Coalition strikes
A little earlier, an article was published on the News.ru portal, which cites many facts that a coalition led by the United States of America used white phosphorus on October 13 during an attack on the city of Khadzhin.
From the American side immediately received a denial. They argue that in the armed forces of those military units there were no warheads with white phosphorus.
An interesting fact was the statements of Alexander Shulgin on October 12, which state that the American side was preparing provocations with chemical weapons. Although it was spoken about another city and another substance - chlorine.
More than a year ago, the United States of America was already accused of using white phosphorus. This was reported by the human rights organization Human Right Watch.
