According to a CBS News report, the Biden Administration approved a controversial weapons package for Ukraine on Friday; it includes cluster bombs, which can be incredibly dangerous for civilian populations.
One hundred and twenty-three countries have joined the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munition —banning the production, transfer, and stockpiling of the weapons.
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are not part of that agreement.
The new military aid package is estimated to be worth $800 million dollars.
CBS News explains why cluster munitions are so dangerous:
A significant number of bomblets do not explode on first impact as intended. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the submunition failure rate — referred to as the “dud rate” — has varied from 10% to 40% in recent conflicts.
“Large-scale use of these weapons has resulted in countries and regions being infested with tens of thousands, and sometimes millions, of unexploded and highly unstable submunitions,” the organization said.
In addition to posing an immediate threat to civilians living in areas where cluster munitions are used, the bomblets that remain unexploded are small, can have interesting shapes, and can be colorful, meaning those that don’t immediately detonate can appear like toys to children, who might try to pick them up and be maimed or killed.
Civilians are the primary victims of cluster bombs, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitor, a group that does research on behalf of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines-Cluster Munitions Coalition. In 2021, the latest year for which data was published, the group said that of 141 casualties from cluster bomb remnants, 97% were civilians, and two-thirds of those were children.
“It is a terrible reminder of the dire need for rapid clearance of contaminated areas, age-appropriate education on the risks of unexploded bomblets, and greater dedicated support to the victims and their families,” Loren Persi, editor of the Cluster Munition Monitor 2022 report, said in a statement.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed the cluster bomb support during Friday’s press briefing.: “Ukraine would not be using these munitions in some foreign land,” Sullivan said. “This is their country they’re defending, these are their citizens they’re protecting and they are motivated to use any weapon system they have in a way that minimizes risks to those citizens.”
Watch below:
NEW — National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirms that the United States is going to deliver cluster bombs to Ukraine.
"Ukraine would not be using these munitions in some foreign land. This is their country they're defending, these are their citizens they're protecting and… pic.twitter.com/d8tgTAlkGe
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) July 7, 2023
