Rudaw’s live stream on Saturday caught the use of what appeared to be the highly incendiary ammunition.
The Iraqi military said it was investigating the matter. Shortly after the videos emerged, Iraq warned media outlets against broadcasting or publishing images that may show the possible use of white phosphorus.
Describing media reports of the incident as “inaccurate,” a statement on Sunday from the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command said, “On June 3, specifically near the Jamhouri Hospital on the right bank (Western Mosul), a large number of citizens escaped towards our security forces and in order to protect them from Daesh’s [ISIS] snipers who were located on the hospital’s floors, we asked the Coalition Forces to direct smoke shells to create a visual cover that obscures Daesh’s snipers from seeing fleeing civilians and gives them the opportunity to reach our security forces and this was successful.”
White phosphorus, which is not a banned substance, is used by armies as a smoke screen. It can, however, cause serious injury or death. It burns the skin and can cause organ damage if ingested. “It should never be used in the vicinity of civilians,” Amnesty International stated after alleged used of the substance in the Mosul offensive last October.
The US-led international coalition has not yet made any statements on the incident.
