Afghanistan, Washington and the Taliban condemned yesterday a video purporting to show US Marines urinating on corpses of insurgents, but the Islamists said it was unlikely to derail peace talks.
The government of Afghanistan is deeply disturbed of what it called desecrating bodies of three Afghans
United States Defence Secretary Leon Panetta called the footage, which was posted online, “utterly deplorable” and vowed that “those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent”.
The US military said it was investigating the “disgusting” video of what appears to be four servicemen dressed in US military uniform urinating onto three bloodied bodies.
If authentic, the images – which conjure up previous abuses committed by US troops in Iraq and during the decade-long Afghan war – could spark deep anger and resentment in Afghanistan and the wider Muslim world. The Taliban, who have made recent moves to talk an end to 10 years of war in the impoverished country, described the apparent abuse as “an inhumane and savage act by the American soldiers in Afghanistan”.
But spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed added that he did not think it would destroy tentative peace negotiations with the US “which at this stage are mainly about prisoner exchange”.
Earlier in the day, the insurgents issued another statement supporting talks to end the war against US-led forces, while warning that this did not mean surrender.
The Pentagon says it has not yet verified the footage, which has been broadcast by leading Afghan television station Tolo News.
In it, one of the men, apparently aware that they are being filmed, says: “Have a great day, buddy”, referring to one of the dead.
“It turned my stomach,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of the video, which was posted on the Live Leak website.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement that “the government of Afghanistan is deeply disturbed” of what it called “desecrating dead bodies of three Afghans”.
“This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms,” said the statement.