U.S. Marines Allegedly Urinate on Taliban Corpses
USMC launching investigation into graphic video.
Jan. 11, 2012— -- The U.S. Marine Corps is investigating a video that surfaced online today in which several Marines appear to urinate on the corpses of suspected Taliban fighters.
The video, which is less than a minute long, appears to show four men in uniform looking around before urinating on three dead bodies, at least one of the men chuckles as they do so.
"Have a great day, buddy," one of the men is heard saying, apparently to a dead body.
The Marine Corps responded quickly after reports of the video surfaced, calling for a full investigation.
"Headquarters Marine Corps has recently been made aware of a video that portrays Marines urinating on what appear to be deceased members of the Taliban," the USMC statement said. "While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps."
The video surfaced on several websites early Wednesday. On one website, the member who posted the video identified the Marines as belonging to the 3/2 Marine battalion out of Camp Lejeune. The battalion served in the northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan last summer.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a D.C.-based human rights group, condemned what it called "the apparent desecration of the dead."
"If verified as authentic, the video shows behavior that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians," said CAIR in a statement. "We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation."
The 3/2 Marine battalion last made headlines in November when movie star Mila Kunis attended the 3/2 Marine Corps Ball at Camp Lejeune after being asked on a date by a Marine via online video.
READ: Mila Kunis Attends Marine Corps Ball
