Afghanistan: Soldiers accused of using ‘dum-dum’ bullets

Illegal ammunition found in possession of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan – accused face severe penalties

Three Danish soldiers have been sent home from Afghanistan and accused of possessing illegal ammunition by the military’s Judge Advocate General (JAG).

Two privates and an officer have been charged with having 20 rounds of hollow point bullets, also known as dum-dums, in their pistols.

Dum-dum bullets expand on impact, causing much more damage than conventional ammunition, and have been banned for use in military operations since the 1899 Hague Convention.
Peter Otken of JAG confirmed three Danes had been charged, but stressed there was no indication any of the soldiers had ever fired the bullets.

The case has led to an examination of all pistols being carried by Danish soldiers serving in Afghanistan, but no further illegal ammunition has been found.

Col Henrik Sommer said that he could not recall any previous violations of a war convention and the Danish branch of aid organisation Doctors without Borders has called the case ‘completely unacceptable’.

The three soldiers have been charged under a military penal code that could see them face life imprisonment.


Articles by: Global Research

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]