US army investigates corpse abuse in Afghanistan

12/01/12 08:34 CET

world news

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The US military is investigating a video showing what appears to be troops urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

The footage of what seems to be US marines has been uploaded to several sites including videosharing site Youtube.

The film could be another blow for America after previous scandals like the abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the recent conviction of 11 soldiers for running what became known as a ‘kill squad’, murdering unarmed Afghan civilians.

A US Muslim civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has sent a letter to the US Defence Secretary demanding those on the video be punished under military law, under which it is an offence to despoil the corpses.

US authorities are already trying to verify the authenticity of the footage and identify the troops involved.

More about: Afghanistan, Military, USA, Video

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