Here ya go, it happens with all military units at one time or another.
"The war in Afghanistan has proven to be an enduringly nasty conflict, and rules of engagement nigh impossible to make out. The occupation soldiers of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) face a formidable enemy they find hard to locate yet finds highly lethal in effectiveness. When that enemy becomes accessible, be they living or dead, the response is often one of incandescent rage and sacrificial blood lust. In such contexts, words such as interring the dead honorably, ‘if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged’ fade into insignificance. The law falls silent."
Desecrating the Enemy: The US Marines and the Taliban | Scoop News
[SIZE=+1]Canadian sniper cleared of desecrating al-Qaeda body[/SIZE]
National Post ^ | February 8, 2003 | Stewart Bell
Posted on
Saturday, February 08, 2003 1:11:24 PM by
Clive
A Canadian sniper up for the Bronze Star medal for his combat role in Afghanistan has been cleared of allegations he desecrated the body of a dead al-Qaeda fighter, the Defence Department said yesterday.
Military investigators lacked evidence for charges against Master Corporal Arron Perry and another Canadian, following allegations soldiers cut the finger off an enemy combatant and staged a "trophy" photo of the body.
The investigation also examined claims a soldier defecated on a second body. Master Cpl. Perry had been suspended pending the outcome of the probe, but was returned to duty yesterday in Edmonton.
"After a thorough investigation by the National Investigation Service, the evidence wasn't sufficient to support charges in that case," said Captain Mark Giles, a Department of National Defence public affairs officer.
Master Cpl. Perry, a member of Edmonton's 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, said he was relieved the investigation had concluded.
"I'm glad finally it's done," he said.
The sniper was part of a small group of Canadian soldiers who directly engaged the Taliban and al-Qaeda during a tour in Afghanistan. He has been credited with helping save soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division pinned down by enemy fire in Shah-i-Kot Valley.
The Canadians' sharp-shooting on al-Qaeda machine-gun nests and mortar positions were chronicled in Soldier of Fortune magazine. U.S. commanders have since recommended the snipers for Bronze Stars recognizing heroic or meritorious service.
But a few weeks after that triumph, Master Cpl. Perry was sent home under a cloud of suspicion. Allegations surfaced in mid-March that he had interfered with a body and there were reports of a photograph showing a dead enemy fighter with a cigarette in his mouth and a small sign on his chest reading "f--k terrorism." But the investigation centred on claims a soldier had taken a finger from the body.
Canadian sniper cleared of desecrating al-Qaeda body
