The US Marines Used Thermobaric Weapons in Iraq

Despite the trend of producing high precision weapons which limit the damages and the loss of human lives, the US marine could adopt a weapon with a devastating destruction power, which makes no discrimination, David Hambling of Defensetech.org wrote.

In fact, is not the weapon that's new, it's the type of projectile used by it.
Developed by Talley Defense and having a code name which doesn't say much, NE (Novel Explosive), it is based on a thermobaric mixture which ignites the air.

Following the chemical reaction, it is produced a shockwave whose destructive power is immense; the new projectile is especially useful against buildings.

The US marines used this invention in the battle of Fallujah, a report published in specialized magazine informing that one such projectile disintegrated an entire one level masonry building from 100 meters.

The report also says that "the gunners became expert at determining which wall to shoot to cause the roof to collapse and crush the insurgents fortified inside interior rooms."

As Mr. Hambling said, thermobaric weapons are not something new, the Russian army also using them in Afghanistan.
According to Human Rights Watch, thermobaric weapons "kill and injure in a particularly brutal manner over a wide area. In urban settings it is very difficult to limit the effect of this weapon to combatants".

For these reasons, the tests and battles in which these weapons were used have been kept quiet, the US marines risking a scandal of large proportions.