CANBERRA: Australia's military is investigating a unit of
Special Forces soldiers accused of mutilating the corpses of one or more
insurgents killed during operations in Afghanistan, Australian
Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Friday.
The incident took place during an operation carried out in the southeastern province of Zabul on April 28, when Afghan forces and Australian soldiers came head to head. According to reports, the hands were allegedly cut from the body of at least one of four militants killed in the fight.
The hands were then taken back to the main Australian base at Tirin Kot, in nearby Uruzgan province, for identification and fingerprinting, said the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Earlier, a group of Special Forces soldiers had been instructed by an investigator from the Australian military, who told them it did not matter how fingerprints were taken. They could cut the hands off the dead for fingerprinting.
Australia's military declined to confirm details of the incident, but said in an official statement that an investigation was underway into “an incident of potential misconduct” involving special forces soldiers.
“Following the mission, an incident of potential misconduct was raised through the Australian Defense Force's internal command chain. The ADF takes any potential occurrence of misconduct by Australian personnel very seriously.”
Previously, such incidents of mutilation of insurgent corpses by members of the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan have been the cause of much unrest and protests in the battle-scarred nation.
In 2011, British troops were investigated over accusations regarding a soldier who cut the fingers from a dead insurgent and kept them as trophies.
In 2012, U.S. paratroops belonging to the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were accused of posing for photos with the dismembered bodies of insurgents.
A U.S. Marine staff sergeant also pleaded guilty in 2012 to urinating on the bodies of dead insurgents and posing for pictures during operations in Helmand Province in July 2011.
According to reports by ABC, Australia's soldiers were required to collect fingerprints and eye scans of dead Taliban fighters.
However, the mutilation of bodies violates internationally agreed rules of war under the Geneva Convention.
It also violates Islamic customs, which require that bodies be buried intact.
Australia's military said that it had informed the Afghan government of the incident, along with senior commanders of the Nato-led armed force.
As the Australian Special Forces involved in Afghanistan include both elite Special Air Services soldiers and separate Commando units, it is unclear which force was under investigation.
Australian troops operate under strict rules of engagement “while ensuring that their actions are consistent with our obligations under Australian and international law”, according to a statement by the Australian military.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, campaigning for elections on September 7, said he would allow the investigation to run its course.
The incident took place during an operation carried out in the southeastern province of Zabul on April 28, when Afghan forces and Australian soldiers came head to head. According to reports, the hands were allegedly cut from the body of at least one of four militants killed in the fight.
The hands were then taken back to the main Australian base at Tirin Kot, in nearby Uruzgan province, for identification and fingerprinting, said the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Earlier, a group of Special Forces soldiers had been instructed by an investigator from the Australian military, who told them it did not matter how fingerprints were taken. They could cut the hands off the dead for fingerprinting.
Australia's military declined to confirm details of the incident, but said in an official statement that an investigation was underway into “an incident of potential misconduct” involving special forces soldiers.
“Following the mission, an incident of potential misconduct was raised through the Australian Defense Force's internal command chain. The ADF takes any potential occurrence of misconduct by Australian personnel very seriously.”
Previously, such incidents of mutilation of insurgent corpses by members of the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan have been the cause of much unrest and protests in the battle-scarred nation.
In 2011, British troops were investigated over accusations regarding a soldier who cut the fingers from a dead insurgent and kept them as trophies.
In 2012, U.S. paratroops belonging to the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were accused of posing for photos with the dismembered bodies of insurgents.
A U.S. Marine staff sergeant also pleaded guilty in 2012 to urinating on the bodies of dead insurgents and posing for pictures during operations in Helmand Province in July 2011.
According to reports by ABC, Australia's soldiers were required to collect fingerprints and eye scans of dead Taliban fighters.
However, the mutilation of bodies violates internationally agreed rules of war under the Geneva Convention.
It also violates Islamic customs, which require that bodies be buried intact.
Australia's military said that it had informed the Afghan government of the incident, along with senior commanders of the Nato-led armed force.
As the Australian Special Forces involved in Afghanistan include both elite Special Air Services soldiers and separate Commando units, it is unclear which force was under investigation.
Australian troops operate under strict rules of engagement “while ensuring that their actions are consistent with our obligations under Australian and international law”, according to a statement by the Australian military.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, campaigning for elections on September 7, said he would allow the investigation to run its course.
--> --> --> --> --> --> He added that he had full confidence in the Australian military.Australia, a close U.S. ally, aims to have 15000 of its troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2012, much ahead of the deadline for the withdrawal of most Western combat troops, by the end of next year.
