Libya: Explosive Remnants of War caused by NATO Air Campaign

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A destroyed bunker at a military ammunition storage facility near the town of Mizdah, 160 kilometers south of Tripoli. NATO aircraft attacked targets here 56 times between April and July 2011, according to information released by the alliance. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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Remnants of explosive ordnance remain months after NATO air strikes on an ammunition storage bunker in Mizdah. Such circumstances will require a complex clearance and disposal operation. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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Local citizens have been collecting scrap metal from a bombed storage bunker at Mizdah, exposing themselves to great risk as they come into contact with remnants of unstable explosive ordnance. The green tubes contain Soviet/Russian anti-tank missiles. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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Among the remnants ejected from the storage bunkers attacked by NATO at Mizdah are explosive submunitions contained in cluster munitions. Above is an unknown type of submunition contained in 122mm rockets. © March 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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Among the remnants ejected from the storage bunkers attacked by NATO at Mizdah are explosive submunitions contained in cluster munitions. Above is a Soviet PTAB high explosive anti-tank bomblet. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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The ammunition remaining at the Mizdah storage facility has also been extensively looted since it fell under militia control in mid-August 2011. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
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Abdulraouf Alafi, 29, was injured in his right foot in November 2011 at the Mizdah arms depot when he threw to the ground a small, unidentified, funnel-shaped device, which exploded on impact. Alafi received medical treatment in Mizdah and in Tunisia, but can no longer walk unassisted so is now unable to work at the job he had at the local college in Mizdah. © 2012 Human Rights Watch 324196
During the 2011 air campaign in Libya, NATO aircraft attacked targets at the Mizdah military depot south of Tripoli a total of 56 times between April and July, creating an extensive explosive remnants of war (ERW) problem. Human Rights Watch has confirmed two deaths and seven injuries from ERW in six separate incidents at the Mizdah depot between August and December 2011. Almost all the ERW casualties were local residents of Mizdah, who were visiting the site to collect scrap metal or inspect the damaged facilities. The NATO alliance has recently taken some steps to provide strike data from the 2011 combat operation in Libya. This information will facilitate survey, clearance, and risk education.
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