Backlash feared as photos of Taliban corpses emerge
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.American forces in Afghanistan were braced for another backlash yesterday as photos emerged showing grinning US troops posing with the bloodied body parts of Afghan suicide bombers.
The Los Angeles Times said a soldier passed it 18 images taken in 2010 after the 82nd Airborne Division was dispatched on two occasions to investigate reports that Afghan police had recovered the remains of insurgents.
Two photographs were published on the LA Times website and in the newspaper, one showing what appears to be two US soldiers holding up two severed legs. The newspaper said other photographs showed a US soldier manipulating a corpse's hand to make it raise its middle finger, and another body with a sign saying "Zombie Hunter" placed next to it.
Even before the photographs were published yesterday, Nato was on the defensive, promising a full investigation. "The actions of the individuals photographed do not represent the policies of International Security Assistance Force or the US Army," US General John Allen, Nato's top commander in the country, said in a statement.
The images are the latest in a string of mis-steps and atrocities which have soured relations between Afghans and the Nato forces. In March, a US soldier walked off his base and killed 17 Afghan civilians. After Korans were burnt as rubbish at a Nato air base in February, a wave of retribution attacks left six soldiers dead. And in January, a video emerged of four US Marines urinating on the corpses of alleged insurgents.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments