US warns Afghans about bombs that look like food aid

11.45 am - By ANDREW BUNCOMBE

WASHINGTON - The United States is broadcasting radio messages warning the people of Afghanistan not to confuse food parcels with controversial cluster bombs which are also being dropped over parts of the country.

In an admission of the danger posed by such weapons, the US has warned that from a distance the two items could be mistaken: both are roughly the same size and both are bright yellow.

"Attention, noble Afghan people," starts the message broadcast in both Pashto and Dari languages. "As you know, the coalition countries have been air-dropping daily humanitarian rations for you. The food ration is enclosed in yellow plastic bags. They come in the shape of rectangular or long squares. The food inside the bags is Halal and very nutritional.

"In areas away from where food has been dropped, cluster bombs will also be dropped. The colour of these bombs is also yellow. All bombs will explode when they hit the ground, but in some special circumstances some of the bombs will not explode."

Cluster bombs are canisters which break open on impact with the ground to scatter, smaller "bomblets". It is estimated that these bomblets have a "dud" rate of around five per cent and can lie buried 'live' in the ground until something else detonates them. They have been condemned by various humanitarian organisations for the indiscriminate way they can injure innocent civilians.

The UN has already expressed concern about the use of such weapons in Afghanistan.

Last night, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), added: "The food drops are not the most efficient way of delivering food. Nonetheless in a situation where there is no food coming in, you cannot be too choosy. We have urged that any military action should take into account the civilian population and that it should as least harmful as possible to this population."

While Britain has not dropped cluster bombs in Afghanistan, its position on their use is no different to that of the US. The Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, yesterday told the Commons that they had been used in Afghanistan on a "limited number of occasions against the particular military threat of armoured vehicles".

Responding to a call from Labour MP Ann Clwyd to pressurise the Americans to stop using the bombs, Mr Hoon added: "They are not used against civilian populations and the number of circumstances in which they have been used in Afghanistan has been extremely limited. They are not either in any way comparable with landmines."

Ms Clwyd later told The Independent: "It is known very well that cluster bombs are, unfortunately, anti-personnel mines as well. They destroy innocent civilians in much the same way as landmines."

The radio message – being broadcast by US soldiers using specially designed EC-130E 'Commando Solo' planes bristling with electronic equipment to broadcast all variety of messages as well as jam other transmissions - informs the Afghan population that "of course, in future, cluster bombs will not be dropped in areas where food is air-dropped".

It adds: "However, we do not wish to see an innocent civilian mistake the bombs for food bags and take it away believing that it might contain food. We would like you to take extra care and not to touch yellow-coloured objects thinking that they might be food bags. This issue is highly important, especially in areas where bombs have been dropped. You should not forget and take additional care."

The Pentagon has declined to comment specifically on the broadcast but a spokesman said: "We want to make sure people stay away from the bombs and go towards the food."

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