According to those familiar with the decision, the Biden administration has chosen to deliver cluster munitions to Ukraine and is anticipated to declare on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of the most recent military aid package for the war effort against Russia.
The choice was made despite widespread worries that the contentious bombs could kill innocent civilians.
The Pentagon will supply ammunition with a lower “dud rate,” which means there will be much fewer shots that don’t explode and might accidentally kill civilians.
According to statements made by American officials on Thursday, Ukraine would receive a total of $800 million in fresh military aid.
Cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are spread over a wide area and are meant to cause havoc on numerous targets at once.
Ukraine has long sought after these weapons.
The officials and other people with knowledge of the decision spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to publicly discuss it before the official announcement.
Officials from Ukraine have requested the weapons to help in their effort to break through Russian army lines and advance in the ongoing counteroffensive.
U.S. authorities have claimed that Russian soldiers are already employing cluster munitions on the battlefield.
The International Committee of the Red Cross claims that some cluster munitions leave behind “bomblets” with a high failure rate to explode of up to 40%.
According to U.S. authorities, less than 3% of the ammunition being sent to Ukraine has unexploded ordnance, which means there will be fewer dangers for civilians.
The Pentagon has a sizable inventory of cluster bombs, which can be fired from artillery that the United States has given to Ukraine.
According to the Pentagon, the last significant American use of cluster bombs occurred during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Human Rights Watch claims that, however, during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. Marines regarded them as a crucial weapon.
Cluster bomb opponents claim that these weapons kill without mercy and put populations in peril long after they have been used.
Concerns have been expressed by several groups regarding Russia’s employment of weapons in Ukraine.
More than 120 nations have ratified a convention that forbids the use of cluster bombs.
These nations also pledged to clear the weapons after they had been deployed. Among the nations that have not joined are the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.
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