British Orders to Commit War Crimes Against Children
Formal orders to use white phosphorus offensively against Afghan children and civilians
- part of the British Army’s Standard Operating Procedure in Helmand.
21st June 2012 - on a Combat Logist Patrol in Nadi-Ali, Helmand
This firsthand report will recount the orders given by the British army senior command in Helmand, summer 2012, that instructed soldiers such as myself to use white phosphorus as an offensive weapon against children.
This is my testimony with one caveat - I never saw these orders being carried out - but the orders were given to hundreds of British soldiers in Helmand, without complaint or objection to the best of my knowledge.
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Theoretical Orders
Mission Directive:
Command Directive:
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Formal and Informal Orders
White phosphorus is a chemical that burns on contact with air at a temperature of 2760° C or 5000° F, producing an intense white light and plumes of dense smoke for approximately sixty seconds. When used within the Law of Armed Conflict it is a very useful tool to armies, but when used outside of those international regulations it is one of the most horrific and brutal weapons of War.
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Narrative of a Patrol
- Awaiting Update -
Photographer & Report Author:
Anthony C Heaford, Craftsman in British Territorial Army 2009 to 2013, No.30088729.
Six month tour of Afghanistan, April to October 2012. Based in Camp Bastion.