Taliban describe video of urinating US soldiers as barbaric

The Afghan Taliban say a video apparently showing US Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters is “barbaric” and just one of hundreds of similar cases over the years that have never been revealed. 

Reuters/YouTube

The US military says it is investigating the “disgusting” online video which shows what resembles four servicemen, dressed in US military uniform relieving themselves onto three bloodied bodies lying on the ground.

One soldier is heard to say while laughing “have a nice day, buddy”.

The Pentagon has not yet verified the video, but spokesman John Kirby said regardless of the circumstances the behaviour of the soldiers was disgusting and unacceptable for anyone wearing a uniform.

If authenticated, the video could spark anger and resentment in Afghanistan and the wider Muslim world.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, a prominent US Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has condemned the alleged descrecration of the corpses and warned it could endanger the lives of other soldiers and civilians.

At statement by the Council said any guilty party should be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws.

This latest incident has conjured up reminders of previous abuses commited by US troops during the decade-long war.

In March 2011, the US military apologised after pictures surfaced of US soldiers from a rogue army unit posing with dead Afghans. Five soldiers from the unit were charged with murder for allegedly shooting civilians for sport.

That scandal was among the worst faced by the military since the April 2004 revelation of prisoner abuse at the US-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, which became a potent negative symbol of the US occupation.