Georgia ‘also used cluster bombs’
Following human rights groups’ condemnation of Russia’s use of cluster bombs in Georgia, Human Rights Watch has revealed that Georgia also used such munitions during the fighting.
The Georgian Defense Ministry admitted that cluster rockets were “used against Russian military equipment and armament.”
Human Rights Watch has called on Georgia and Russia to join the Cluster Munition Convention, which bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions and is supported by 107 countries.
Cluster munitions are designed to target areas — they are the opposite of precision ’smart bombs’ — and many fail to explode upon impact, leaving a dangerous legacy of unstable ordnance after fighting ends. The ‘dud’ bomblets thus act like de facto landmines and can hinder refugee return, economic recovery and humanitarian operations. Visit the Cluster Munition Coalition or view the Political Minefields cluster munitions web video for more information.
