What are the forum members views on the reports of the alleged desecration of corpses in Afghanistan, do you believe this to be an isolated or a widespread act & do you believe this is just confined to our U.S. cousins?

I think they were dickheads, but not nearly as much of a dickhead as their mucker who decided to post this on YouTube. Ridiculous. I'm sure this stuff has been going on for as long as there has been war, doesnt make it right, but at least it was kept hidden and not placed in full view of a very unforgiving public.

I'd suggest you state what is your view/interest first of all?

And search for the other threads that deal with this.

SOURCE : - British Forces Broadcasting Service

Military officials in the United States say that at least two of the four marines filmed urinating on the bodies of what are claimed to be Taliban fighters have been identified.

They say they returned to their home base in the North Carolina area last autumn after a tour in Afghanistan.

Yesterday US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta condemned the video as "utterly deplorable."

He said such behaviour is "entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military" and those responsible will be held accountable.

Mr Panetta said he had ordered the Marine Corps and Marine General John Allen, the top commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, to investigate.

The case has been referred to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the US Navy's worldwide law enforcement arm.

It is not clear whether the dead in the video were Taliban or civilians or someone else. The title on the posting called them Taliban insurgents but it was unclear who added that title, Marine Corps officials in Washington said.

The reaction from Afghanistan has been angry.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the video as "completely inhumane". The Afghan Defence Ministry called it "shocking". And the Taliban issued a statement accusing US forces of committing numerous "indignities" against the Afghan people.

Wow, how many times did this happen? There's threads everywhere about it. Is it the same incident or multiple moist moments of excitement?

Oh no - not this shit again. I think we need to find out more about this so-called act of desecration before we jump to conclusions. The US Marines that I know and have met downrange are professionals and well trained. You'll get no bite from me, Mr. Journo.

Do they not have search functions on US forum sites then, or is it as a jouorno you just sit at your PC asking stupid questions.

Thwocka bloke

.....unfortunately, some clown uploaded cameraphone footage to YouTube....if it turns out to be a posed stunt I will be surprised...as you can imagine the footage is fairly easy to find...what will be interesting is the number of times you find something like this

This video is unavailable
This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.
Sorry about that.

All it does, of course - and as widely discussed on the other major Arrse thread at
US Hearts and Minds working overtime - Marines filmed urinating on bodies. - is to play into the hands of the Islamofascistii .......

Well done dumb Jarhead who took the footage - you've done your Corps and your country a real favor (sic)....er...not.

If the view of Commandant USMC is anything to go by - they may shortly be ex Marines - and may need decent attorneys ( if any such walk the land)

Senator John McCain said the viral video clip of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan apparently urinating on three corpses identified as Taliban enemy dead “makes me so sad” on CBS Thursday morning.

There’s not a lot else that needs to be said.


But plenty of others had plenty to say as the video ricocheted around the globe. Statements deploring it exploded like verbal IEDs from Washington to Kabul. “I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. “Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”

General James Amos, commandant of the corps, said he has seen the video “that depicts Marines desecrating several dead Taliban in Afghanistan” — there was no “allegedly” in his statement. “I am assigning a Marine General Officer and senior attorney, both with extensive combat experience, to head up an internal Preliminary Inquiry into the matter,” he said. “Rest assured that the institution of the Marine Corps will not rest until the allegations and the events surrounding them have been resolved. We remain fully committed to upholding the Geneva Convention, the Laws of War, and our own core values.”

The Marines said they hadn’t yet authenticated the video, which Afghan officials fear will be used as a recruiting tool for the Taliban. The corps says the investigation into its source and subjects has been turned over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. “This disrespectful act is inexplicable and not in keeping with the high moral standards we expect of coalition forces,” the U.S.-led alliance fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan said Thursday. Those involved purportedly were “a small group of U.S. individuals, who apparently are no longer serving in Afghanistan,” the International Security Assistance Force said.

The statement did not explain why the military believes those involved have left Afghanistan. But whoever posted the video labeled it “Scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans.”

Perhaps it’s the peculiar patina of civilization that renders killing foes OK, but desecrating their bodies in this way is deemed outside the bounds of decency. In part, that’s what happens after a decade of war (although Abu Ghraib brought home the fact that inhumanity doesn’t always need that long to incubate). The desecration of the remains is terrible, and compounded by the sheer stupidity of being videoed while in the act.

“These are the young men we send to wage war in our name?” one former U.S. military officer said Thursday morning.

The event reflects changing mores in U.S. society. Yes, there have always been war crimes, and U.S. troops have committed their share. But many young people today like to color outside the lines, and too often parents aren’t there – physically, mentally or emotionally – to stop them. Some of this leeches into the military despite its efforts to stamp it out.

The Guardian noted this trend earlier this week in a report on the growing number of police officers in U.S. schools, and their growing reach into non-law enforcement areas. The cops are there because parents didn’t do their jobs.

Not sure we can dispatch cops to march alongside U.S. Marines to ensure they don’t act like idiots. Guess we should console ourselves with the fact that this is newsworthy because it is so rare.

Read more: Marines allegedly urinating on dead Taliban triggers probe | Battleland | TIME.com

Remembering the account of what his Taliban captors did to a Highlander captured at night last year - LINK - I can't share the outrage....but I can deplore the stupidity....

Taliban chiefs are taking this new threat extremely seriously, and are already issuing their members with protective equipment.