U.S. Marines video causes controversy
- 12 years ago
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
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STORY: The U.S. Marine Corps said on Wednesday (January 11) it would investigate a video showing what appears to be American forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.
The video, which was posted on websites, appears to show four men in camouflage combat uniforms urinating on the bodies of three dead Taliban.
One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." The other makes a lewd joke about a shower.
"While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps," the Marines said in a statement.
"This matter will be fully investigated."
A Muslim civil rights group in the United States condemned the alleged desecration of corpses in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws," the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in the letter, a copy of which was sent to media organizations including Reuters.
Reuters cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video.
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: The U.S. Marine Corps said on Wednesday (January 11) it would investigate a video showing what appears to be American forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.
The video, which was posted on websites, appears to show four men in camouflage combat uniforms urinating on the bodies of three dead Taliban.
One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." The other makes a lewd joke about a shower.
"While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps," the Marines said in a statement.
"This matter will be fully investigated."
A Muslim civil rights group in the United States condemned the alleged desecration of corpses in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws," the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in the letter, a copy of which was sent to media organizations including Reuters.
Reuters cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video.