US completes Taliban inquiry

A US military inquiry has been completed and will be released soon into television footage purportedly showing Americn troops burning the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters.

Cremation of corpses is banned under Islam and the alleged act sparked outrage in Afghanistan and the government demanded those responsible be punished.

The U.S. military launched an inquiry into the alleged desecration, which was recorded on video last month by a freelance journalist with the US troops in volatile southern Afghanistan.

“This report has been completed,” said US military spokesman Col. James Yonts.

A separate probe by the Afghan Defence Ministry has also been completed and its conclusions will also be released soon, he said.

The spokesman said investigators from both sides co-ordinated their separate probes, often interviewing witnesses together.

News of the alleged desecration sparked warnings of a possible anti-American backlash in Afghanistan, but there have been no demonstrations so far.