Hot off the press! Marines urinating on Taliban video: egregious and unacceptable says Pentagon ...shocking
The video shows what appears to be four servicemen, dressed in US military uniformRelieving themselves onto three bloodied bodies on the groundApparently aware that they are being filmed
"Have a great day, buddy," one of them says
Disgusting behaviour, unacceptable for anyone in uniform, egregious. ". This is, but spokesman John Kirby told AFP: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, The Pentagon has not yet verified the video
"It turned my stomach," he added of the video, which was posted on the Live Leak website
If authenticated, the images - which conjure up memories of the detainee abuse inflicted by American soldiers at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison - are sure to spark deep anger and resentment in the Muslim world
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30 May 2009A military official who asked not to be named said the helmet and weapon carried by one of the men seems to indicate the four could be members of an elite sniper team
The official also said such conduct would be punishable under the US code of military justice
A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses by US Marines, The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
"If verified as authentic, " CAIR said in a statement, the video shows behaviour that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians
"We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation, " the statement said
"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws. "
A statement issued by the Pentagon said: "Headquarters Marine Corps has recently been made aware of a video that portrays Marines urinating on what appear to be deceased members of the Taliban
The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps, "While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video
"This matter will be fully investigated."
000 Marines are deployed in Afghanistan, Some 20, mostly in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in the south of the war-ravaged country
The US and Nato have some 130, 000 troops fighting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan
Allowing the withdrawal of combat forces, US and coalition partners in Afghanistan plan to hand over security for the whole of the country to Afghan forces by the end of 2014
The prison at Abu Ghraib shot to international headlines and became a potent negative symbol of the US occupation to many Iraqis after evidence emerged of detainee abuse by US soldiers at the facility, In April 2004
And received punishments ranging from an army discharge to 10 years in prison, 11 soldiers were convicted in connection to the abuse, Eventually
