Splitting “Napalm” Hairs
A few months ago several reports implicated the Pentagon for using napalm, an assertion they vigorously denied at the time while also insisting all their stocks of napalm had been eliminated years earlier. Now, it seems, they were instead using firebombs, with a gelatinous fuel-oil mixture with effects remarkably similar to napalm.
Marine Corps fighter pilots and commanders who have returned from the war zone have confirmed dropping dozens of incendiary bombs near bridges over the Saddam Canal and the Tigris River. The explosions created massive fireballs … During the war, Pentagon spokesmen disputed reports that napalm was being used, saying the Pentagon’s stockpile had been destroyed two years ago. Apparently the spokesmen were drawing a distinction between the terms “firebomb” and “napalm.” If reporters had asked about firebombs, officials said yesterday they would have confirmed their use … Two embedded journalists reported what they described as napalm being dropped on an Iraqi observation post at Safwan Hill overlooking the Kuwait border … Their reports were disputed by several Pentagon spokesmen who said no such bombs were used nor did the United States have any napalm weapons.
Earlier here.