AFGHANISTAN: Afghan goverment condemns German soldier desecrating a human skull in Afghanistan as Germany orders investigation

The Afghan government on Thursday (October 26) condemned newspaper pictures purporting to show German soldiers desecrating a human skull in Afghanistan. A photograph of a smiling soldier in fatigues posing with a skull was splashed on the front page of top-selling German daily Bild under the headline: "Shock photos of German troops". "The government and the people of Afghanistan have been saddened by the news of the desecration of human skull by German soldier in Afghanistan, the ministry of foreign affairs of Islamic republic of Afghanistan strongly condemns this action which goes against Islamic values and Afghan traditions," said Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen. People on the streets of the Afghan capital Kabul also expressed concerns. "The German nationality or other soldiers who came to Afghanistan are here to serve this country and bring security to the people, not to play with the dignity of human beings," said Kabul resident Gull Haider Afghan Independence Human Rights Commissioner Nadir Nadiry said the photograph could help the Taliban recruit more fighters. "These acts can be used as a catalyst for the Taliban to promote their profile and to increase the number of the people to joint them or to to attract people," Nadiry said. Germany ordered an investigation on Thursday into training given to its troops stationed abroad amid concerns that the photos seeming to show soldiers desecrating a human skull in Afghanistan could damage its army's image. Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung condemned the photographs printed in top-selling daily Bild, portraying servicemen in macabre and sometimes obscene poses with the skull. His criticism echoed that of Chancellor Angela Merkel and came amid fears the images could endanger German troops. "I am happy that we managed to identify six offenders within 24 hours. Four of them are no longer part of the Bundeswehr (German army), two are still part of the Bundeswehr. We will take all necessary steps, disciplinary and legal action. We will ensure they receive a just punishment," Jung said. The photos were published more than two years after images emerged showing U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners in Iraq, a revelation which severely damaged the U.S. army's reputation. Some 3,000 German soldiers are in Afghanistan, mainly in the north and Kabul, as part of NATO's peacekeeping forces. Jung's review, the first since 1994, sets out a vision for Germany's military as an intervention and anti-terrorism force. Bild did not say how it knew the photos were genuine or how it obtained them. It quoted an unidentified army member as saying they were taken in the spring of 2003 and that the skull may have come from a mass grave.

ITN Source | October 26, 2006

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