'Kill squad' troops on trial

THE latest claims follow widespread revulsion earlier this year, when leaked pictures showed American soldiers posing with the bloodied and partially naked bodies of Afghan civilians they had allegedly killed.

A group of soldiers who were allegedly part of a "kill squad" are currently facing trial in connection with the outrage.

It prompted comparisons with the Abu Ghraib scandal of 2004, in which US soldiers were pictured abusing prisoners in Iraq. Eleven soldiers were convicted of various charges relating to the Baghdad prison.

A Gurkha soldier was flown back to the UK last year after hacking the head off a dead Taleban commander with his ceremonial knife to prove his identity. His unit had been told they were seeking a "high-value target" and must prove they had killed the right man.