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Old 22nd Mar 2007, 12:01
  #23 (permalink)  
Wader2
 
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The plan to use of area denial weapons, in the face of an advancing enemy, was probably a necessary cold war tactic. What the Russian exit from Afghanistan, and the coalition occupation of Iraq has created is not just an unintended hazard to non-combattants but is an issue for own forces too.

Apart from the direct anti-personnel hazards ther is the possibility that these weapons can be harvestedby insurgents and targetted against the occupying troops.

These anti-personnel weapons are not the only hazard to occupying forces, the number of dud munitions creates a further hazard and unwelcome supply to insurgents. IIRC, in Vietnam the VC used both unexploded and captured 105mm shells to bombard US forces. They didn't use them in guns either.
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