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Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2214731
Why Do Armies Use White Phosphorus?
[Slate] Juliet Lapidos - Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli military of "deliberately or recklessly" using white phosphorus shells over densely populated civilian areas. White phosphorus is primarily deployed as a smoke screen. It was used by U.S. troops in Iraq during the 2004 battle of Fallujah. It serves as a particularly efficient masking agent because it works so quickly - bursting into thick, white, billowing clouds in just a fraction of a second. White phosphorus also impedes the use of infrared tracking systems, like those used to guide some anti-tank missiles.