U.S. Troops Burn Two Taliban Corpses For "Hygienic" Reasons
A military inquiry into last month's episode near Kandahar in which two dead Taliban fighters were faced toward Mecca and burned by U.S. soldiers has determined that the procedure was carried out for "hygienic" reasons.
An American psy-ops unit was videotaped during the incident taunting with a loudspeaker any remaining Talibans who may have been still hiding in the area. Cremation is forbidden under Islam.
The investigation has resulted in disciplinary action being taken against four soldiers, according to Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya. Two officers who ordered the burning of the bodies have been reprimanded for "showing a lack of cultural and religious understanding." Two NCOs are being reprimanded for taunting the enemies with the loudspeaker.
"Our investigation found there was no intent to desecrate the remains, but only to dispose of them for hygienic reasons," Kamiya said.
The only permissible reason for burning combatants under the Geneva Convention is for reasons of "general hygiene."
This incident took place however in an area of desert, and the issue of contaminating ground-water doesn't fly. If burning enemy dead in Afghanistan was such a good idea for hygienic reasons, why then haven't we been burning them all?
Under the military's justification, the four Blackwater security contractors immolated in Fallujah in March 2004, may have only been burned for "hygienic reasons."
An American psy-ops unit was videotaped during the incident taunting with a loudspeaker any remaining Talibans who may have been still hiding in the area. Cremation is forbidden under Islam.
The investigation has resulted in disciplinary action being taken against four soldiers, according to Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya. Two officers who ordered the burning of the bodies have been reprimanded for "showing a lack of cultural and religious understanding." Two NCOs are being reprimanded for taunting the enemies with the loudspeaker.
"Our investigation found there was no intent to desecrate the remains, but only to dispose of them for hygienic reasons," Kamiya said.
The only permissible reason for burning combatants under the Geneva Convention is for reasons of "general hygiene."
This incident took place however in an area of desert, and the issue of contaminating ground-water doesn't fly. If burning enemy dead in Afghanistan was such a good idea for hygienic reasons, why then haven't we been burning them all?
Under the military's justification, the four Blackwater security contractors immolated in Fallujah in March 2004, may have only been burned for "hygienic reasons."
posted by Effwit at 11:03 AM
1 Comments:
so there were rotting corpses that locals and taliban fighters weren't going to retrieve and give a proper burial...US troops are holding a position and should have used their men to go dig some graves and bury them, potentially endangering the entire group of soldiers by rerouting manpower?
of course though, i was under the impression that these guys don't represent 'true' islam, and because of this, not dealing with the bodies in regards to islamic custom shouldn't be a problem...right?
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