Afghanistan signs cluster bomb treaty

January 9, 2009 by admin 

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In response to an international campaign by human rights organizations, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan agreed to join more than 90 other nations last week in signing a treaty to ban cluster munitions.

The decision was a surprise given Karzai’s close relationship with the U.S. government, which opposes the treaty that bans the use, production, sale, and stockpiling of the bombs. Hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan and other conflict areas have been killed or seriously injured by the bombs, which scatter small explosives across a wide area and can explode years after they hit the ground. The New York Times and other outlets covered the story.