Laws of war
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
Lots of people think that because there is fighting, there are no rules. But laws of war have been made so that wars do not get worse than they need to be. These are some simple rules.
- You cannot shoot at a marked hospital, an ambulance, a doctor, or a first aid person. Those places, vehicles, and people cannot have weapons.
- Anyone fighting in the war has to wear a uniform. They can only wear the uniform of their side. Also they have to carry their weapons out in the open (for example, no hiding of a pistol in your pants or under your shirt).
- Anyone approaching you while they are carrying or waving a plain white flag or piece of cloth must not be attacked, nor may they attack you. They may want to surrender, or just talk about ways to solve the problem without more fighting.
- Hollow point ammunition cannot be used in pistols or rifles. This is because (at least in theory) sometimes you do not need to kill your enemy, because even if he is just hurt, he cannot fight, and (if their culture values human life) a few more soldiers will be busy trying to rescue him instead of shooting at you. Also, you cannot use poison gas, in part because it can go into areas where it can kill people who are not fighting.
- Any enemy soldiers you capture must be treated fairly.
- People who aren't fighting who are leaving an area where there is fighting must be left alone, and you cannot take things from them that they need to live. But it is usually okay to check them for weapons or special equipment, or ask questions of men and big boys about where they are coming from, where they are going, etc.
- You cannot attack, take over, or make a headquarters inside any church, mosque, temple, or similar building used for praying unless the enemy has already done this, and it's also okay to protect buildings like this from the outside to keep this from happening.