While trying to clean out the terrorist hornets’ nest in Fallujah, Iraq last year, U.S. forces apparently used “highly caustic white phosphorus flares.” The news came out last week in a documentary produced by Rai, an Italian TV station. While the Pentagon fumbled, first denying, then admitting Rai’s claims, it appears that the phosphorus flares were never intentionally targeted at civilians. According to the BBC:

San Diego journalist Darrin Mortenson, who was embedded with US marines during the assault on Falluja, told the BBC’s Today radio programme he had seen white phosphorous used “as an incendiary weapon” against insurgents.

However, he “never saw anybody intentionally use any weapon against civilians”, he said.

Regarding the Pentagon’s response:

The US initially said white phosphorus had been used only to illuminate enemy positions, but now admits it was used as a weapon.

BBC defence correspondent Paul Wood says having to retract that denial is a public relations disaster for the US.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lt Col Barry Venable, confirmed to the BBC the US had used white phosphorus “as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants” - though not against civilians, he said.

“Public relations disaster?” Or another solution looking for a problem. One more “reason” to oppose bringing democracy to Iraq…