- US soldiers in Afghanistan burnt the bodies of dead Taliban
and taunted their opponents about the corpses, in an act deeply offensive
to Muslims and in breach of the Geneva conventions.
-
- An investigation by SBS's Dateline program, to be aired
tonight, filmed the burning of the bodies.
-
- It also filmed a US Army psychological operations unit
broadcasting a message boasting of the burnt corpses into a village believed
to be harbouring Taliban.
-
- According to an SBS translation of the message, delivered
in the local language, the soldiers accused Taliban fighters near Kandahar
of being "cowardly dogs". "You allowed your fighters to
be laid down facing west and burnt. You are too scared to retrieve their
bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to
be," the message reportedly said.
-
- "You attack and run away like women. You call yourself
Taliban but you are a disgrace to the Muslim religion, and you bring shame
upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs
you are."
-
- The burning of a body is a deep insult to Muslims. Islam
requires burial within 24 hours.
-
- Under the Geneva conventions the burial of war dead "should
be honourable, and, if possible, according to the rites of the religion
to which the deceased belonged".
-
- US soldiers said they burnt the bodies for hygiene reasons
but two reporters, Stephen Dupont and John Martinkus, said the explanation
was unbelievable, given they were in an isolated area.
-
- SBS said Australian special forces in Afghanistan were
operating from the same base as the US soldiers involved in the incident,
although no Australians took part in the action.
-
- The incident is reminiscent of the psychological techniques
used in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
-
- http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/film-rolls-as-troops
-burn-dead/2005/10/18/1129401256154.html
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