2 Marines to be court-martialed for allegedly urinating on corpses in Afghanistan
The United States Military is investigating a video that accuses Marines of urinating on dead Taliban fighters.
Two Marines will be court-martialed for allegedly urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan last year, the Marine Corps said on Monday.
The charges against non-commissioned officers Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin and Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola also include allegedly posing for unofficial photos with casualties, said the Associated Press.
The BBC reported that the two Marines are also charged with failure to report or stop misconduct by junior Marines.
Last month, administrative punishments were announced for three junior Marines in connection with the incident, the AP said.
The incident was caught on video and widely circulated earlier this year, triggering anger in Afghanistan and condemnation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who called the Marines' actions "inhuman," Reuters reported.
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The deputy commander of US forces in Afghanistan issued an order to coalition forces to treat dead insurgents with "appropriate dignity and respect" after the video surfaced, according to Bloomberg.
The incident is thought to have taken place on or around July 27, 2011, in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
When the video surfaced in January, it led to a criminal investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, in addition to a Marine investigation, the AP noted.
The Marine Corps said there were disciplinary actions taken against other Marines, which would be announced later, though it revealed no details.
The video circulated at a volatile point in US-Afghanistan relations, when Afghans were also angry about alleged inadvertent Koran burning by NATO troops and the alleged massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a rogue soldier.
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