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(c)2007 kristian buus.
Living with Cluster Bombs in South Lebanon
Approximately, 4 million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel in the July 2006 war,
of which around 1 million did not explode on impact. Most of these bombs were dropped in the last
72 hours of the war and were old stock made in the USA and Israel. To date, after 10 months,
the battle area clearance organisations
have disposed of a total of 118,000 cluster bombs.
As of June 2007, 905 strike areas have been located in all, covering an estimated 36 million sqm.
Clearing 100 sqm takes 10 battle area clearance operatives between 30 and 60 minutes.
Since the war ended on the 13th of August 2006 until the 7th of June 2007,
239 people have been injured or killed by unexploded ordnance, the vast majority by cluster bombs.
Cluster bombs are delivered in dispensers by aircrafts and rockets
or in artillery shells. Each cluster bomb dispenser can contain up to 650 cluster bombs.
When dispersed from an aircraft or a rocket the cluster bombs will spread across an area app.
400 meters long and 200 meters wide equalling 80,000 square meters.
The state of Israel has never faced any consequences for this extensive use of cluster bombs in areas populated by civilians in spite of world wide condemnation.
The portraists here are of Lebanese men and women having to live with and survive the cluster bombs.
To see the multi-media piece go to:Living with Cluster Bombs