Islam Times - US-led warplanes drop cluster bombs in Afghanistan

Islam Times - New footage has emerged showing US-led warplanes dropping cluster bombs in war-torn Afghanistan.

The US-led forces have used cluster munitions since their invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The bombings have caused huge loss of life and property damage.

Apart from the civilians who fall victim to such bombs during the raids, other people continue to be killed by bomblets that do not detonate upon impact.

International rights groups have often called for a global moratorium on the use of cluster bombs, citing the large number of civilian casualties. They argue that unexploded bomblets also remain a deadly hazard.

The US and Israel are the world's top producers of cluster bombs. Washington and Tel Aviv have refused to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions which has been in force since 2010.

The United Nations announced on February 4 that the year 2011 was the deadliest on record for Afghan civilians. The number of deaths marked a rise of eight percent from the figure in 2010, and was roughly double the number from 2007.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan was launched in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan despite the presence of tens of thousands of US-led troops there.