The codification of modern international humanitarian law began at the end of the nineteenth century. A peace conference was held at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1899, followed by a second conference, which met in the same city in 1907. The latter adopted a series of international conventions related to the peaceful settlement of international conflicts and the laws of war, which are known collectively as the Hague Conventions. Convention IV, which is the most relevant here, proclaimed the Laws and Customs of War on Land. Still in force, this Convention imposes upon the parties the obligation to issue instructions to their armed land forces in conformity with the Regulations annexed to the Convention. Each party to a conflict is responsible for all acts committed by individuals forming part of its armed forces, including militia and volunteer corps commanded by a person responsible, having a fixed distinctive emblem and carrying arms...