A video from Kurdistan 24 shows White Phosphorus mortar rounds, set to proximity (air) burst, raining down on ISIS positions in the last Da’esh-held neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq.
The source of the indirect fire rounds is unconfirmed, whether it be Iraqi, Kurdish, or US troops. However, the repeated consistency in the accuracy of the sheafs, as well as the synchronized timing, suggest multiple weapon systems fired by well-trained gun teams.
Whenever White Phosphorus (also known as Willy P. or Willy Pete) is used in a video, there are always cries of war crimes for using banned weapons. However, those cries never amount to anything, because nothing illegal is happening here regarding the use of WP. White Phosphorus is the main ingredient in smoke ammunition. While it is illegal to target troops with WP for the sake of killing them… hitting enemy positions with the intent to screen visibility or conceal friendly troop movement is 100 percent legal. The fact that some of these Da’esh roaches may be burning to death or succumbing to noxious smoke inhalation is just a perk of the asset. That is what is happening here. If the intent was to kill, the more-lethal high explosive (HE) rounds would be used, or the more obvious choice: precision airstrikes.
