General

Washington condemns corpse desecration by Marines

U.S. Defense Secretary promises probe into the case

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta strongly condemned what looks like an act of desecration of corpses by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports. Panetta telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai immediately after viewing a short video shows four men in Marine uniforms urinating on three corpses. Panetta called the act “utterly deplorable,” and promised an investigation. According to a caption in the video, the corpses belong to deceased Taliban fighters. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed “total dismay,” while Karzai called on the U.S. to apply “the most severe punshiment to anyone found guilty in this crime.” An anonymous Marine spokesperson said the troops are believed to be members of the thirds Battalion, second Marines, and added that a probe is underway. Both U.S. law and the Geneva convention forbid the desecration of bodies of those killed in war.

Washington Post

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