Webclip of US troops defiling dead Afghans ignites furore

A VIDEO allegedly showing American marines urinating on the bodies of three dead Afghan men has united Nato, the Taleban, the Pentagon and president Hamid Karzai in fierce condemnation.

Nato said the alleged abuse of corpses was “inexplicable” and “disrespectful”, while the Taleban described it as “barbaric”. US defence secretary Leon Panetta described it as “utterly deplorable” while Mr Karzai branded it “inhuman”.

The 40-second clip shows four male soldiers, wearing marine uniform, laughing and joking as they stand around the men’s heads relieving themselves.

“Have a great day buddy!” says one of the marines, giggling. His comrades can be heard sighing with exaggerated relief, while one glances towards a doorway to see if anyone else is coming. At the end, one of the men jokes that it was, “Like a shower!”

“I have seen the footage, and I find the behaviour depicted in it utterly deplorable. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Mr Panetta said. “Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”

One of the soldiers is holding what looks like an M40 sniper rifle while a fifth man films him.Although US defence officials said they were still trying to establish the veracity of the clip, it appears to show the men inside a mud-walled compound typical of rural Afghan homesteads.

It appeared on the website liveleak.com, headlined “Marines humiliating dead Taleban insurgents”. Nato also described the bodies as “enemy corpses,” a claim backed by the US embassy. Mr Karzai said simply they were “three Afghans”.

There is nothing in the clip to say the men were insurgents.

“The government of Afghanistan is deeply disturbed by a video that shows American soldiers desecrating dead bodies of three Afghans,” a statement from Mr Karzai’s office said. “This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms. We expressly ask the US government to urgently investigate the video and apply the most severe punishment to anyone found guilty in this crime.”

An earlier caption posted on YouTube said the men were from Marine Scout Sniper Team 4, part of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, based at Camp Lejeune.

Although Nato’s International Security Assistance Force did not confirm the soldiers’ identity, it did say the clip showed individuals “who apparently are no longer serving in Afghanistan”.

“Isaf strongly condemns the actions depicted in the video,” the coalition said in a statement. “This behaviour dishonours the sacrifices and core values of every service member representing the 50 nations of the coalition. Therefore, a US Criminal Investigatory agency has launched an investigation. It will be thorough and any individuals with confirmed involvement will be held fully accountable.”

Zabiullah Mujahid, for the Taleban, said: “This is yet another barbaric act by foreign forces. Over the past ten years there have been hundreds of similar cases that were not revealed. We strongly condemn this.”

However, he said it would not derail talks with the Afghan government. He said: “This is not the first time we see such brutality. We know our country is occupied.”

A heavily blurred version of the clip was aired on Afghanistan TV news, raising fears among US troops of a backlash.

The video will draw comparisons with the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib, and more recent images from southern Afghanistan, showing soldiers posing with civilian corpses.