Sanaa reveals type of prohibited bomb that hit collection center for remnants of raids
SANAA, Feb. 23 (YPA) – Investigations into the crime of bombing of Yemeni center for explosive remnant neutralisation in al-Masajd area in the Bani Mater district of Sanaa province, has showed that Saudi-led coalition used a US-made GUB-31 bomb in the attack.
The Executive Center for Mine Action said in its report released on Wednesday that the coalition used a GBU-31 bomb, with a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or “dumb bombs”, into all-weather precision-guided munitions.
The GBU-31 is manufactured by Boeing Company, a US multinational company that manufactures aircraft, as well as aerospace defence products, as well as Woodward Inc., a US company that manufactures components for guidance and control systems.
The bomb weighs a total of 129 kg and has the ability to penetrate up to 4 meters of reinforced concrete. It explodes with a temperature from 2,800 to 3,500 °C. The device contains approximately 23 kg of AFX-757 explosive material, according to the center’s report.
The Center noted that such weapons are illegal and prohibited because they use depleted uranium weapons, which has indiscriminate effects on its surrounding. These weapons also cause unnecessary suffering, and their usage is not required by military necessity, according to the report.
The Center reviewed the most important international reports and investigations issued by organisations and research centers on the negative effects of the use of such bombs, including the report of UN expert Jean François Fechino and the Report of the American Bar Association in February 2009 to the Gaza Strip.
One report revealed the concentration of minerals in a soil sample collected by a group of independent Italian scientists and doctors in the Gaza Strip, and another report made by a weapons committee revealed the poisoning of the soil in the Gaza Strip.
Moreover, one of the health and environmental impacts of the use of GBU-31/GBU39 bombs is that they lead to a widespread breakout of cancers, congenital malformations and stillbirths, affect the immune system and nervous system, and lead to abnormalities in the uterus and genes.
It is considered a chemically and radiologically toxic element that harms the immune system, causes future abnormalities and genetic poisoning, and affects the respiratory and nervous system, as well as cause a higher risk of leukemia.
Furthermore, the Center revealed in an earlier report, that the Saudi-led coalition have used the GBU-31 JDAM bombs in attacking and targeting civilian objects in several Yemen provinces since the beginning of the war.
The report outlined deals to sell bombs to Saudi Arabia, with 900 units sold between 2017 and 2018, in a deal of $123 million.
E.M