BLU-series cluster submunitions
Submunitions (small bombs) from cluster bombs dropped by the US military around the time of the Vietnam War that remain unexploded. In Cambodia, the models BLU-24, BLU-26, BLU-36, BLU-42, BLU-43, BLU-49, and BLU-61 have been confirmed.
History
During the Vietnam War, the US military heavily bombed eastern and northeastern Cambodia, partly to stop movement along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which carried supplies and soldiers to neighboring Laos and Vietnam. According to US State Department bombing data, about 2.75 million tons of bombs were dropped between 1965 and 1973, including about 27.9 million cluster submunitions (the Landmine Monitor puts it at "at least 26 million submunitions", of which an estimated 1.9 to 5.8 million remained unexploded). US bombing ended on August 15, 1973, but bombing by the air force of Cambodia at the time (the Khmer Republic) continued into early 1975, and cluster bombs were used there as well. (Target year: 2018) [Ref 0096][Ref 0097][Ref 0102][Ref 0104]
Features
A cluster bomb is a weapon that scatters many small submunitions, packed inside one large bomb, over a wide area. Submunitions that did not explode remain in the soil and grass, and they can explode if someone touches them during farm work or other activities.
Impact
From 1998 to the end of 2015, 197 people in Cambodia were reported killed or injured by unexploded cluster submunitions. Records of the damage are incomplete, however, and the real number is thought to be higher. (Target year: 2015) [Ref 0102]
Current status
An estimated 624 to 645 km2 of land, mainly in eight eastern provinces, is thought to be contaminated with cluster submunitions (as of the end of 2017). Through its operations since 1992, CMAC has found and destroyed 437,060 cluster submunitions (cumulative total as of January 2024). (Target year: 2024) [Ref 0097][Ref 0101]