German soldiers 'posed with skull' in Afghanistan

Germany’s Defence Ministry today said it was investigating photos published by the country’s biggest-selling newspaper that appeared to show German troops in Afghanistan posing with a skull.

The Bild daily said the macabre pictures, one of which it printed on its front page, showed German peacekeepers near the capital, Kabul, in early 2003.

The uniformed men were seen holding up the skull and posing with it on a 4x4 vehicle; one is seen exposing himself with the skull.

Bild’s headline declared: “German soldiers desecrate a dead person.”

The newspaper said it was unclear where the skull came from, or whether it belonged to an Afghan or dated back to the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. It did not say how it obtained the photos.

“We are taking the accusations seriously,” said Defence Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said. He added that Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung had ordered they be looked into immediately.

“It is clear and unambiguous that such behaviour on the part of German soldiers absolutely cannot be tolerated ... the pictures arouse repulsion,” Bild quoted Jung as saying.