<p>The soldier, who is in his early 20s, initially told investigators that he unsheathed his khukri - the symbolic weapon of the Gurkhas - after running out of ammunition, army sources said.<br /><br />But later the Taliban fighter was mutilated so his identity could be verified through DNA tests.<br /><br />"The soldier has been removed from duty and flown home. There is no sense of glory involved here, more a sense of shame. He should not have done what he did," the source said. <br /><br />The incident took place earlier this month when the Private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of Afghanistan's Helmand province, Daily Mail reported Sunday.<br /><br />His unit had been told that they were seeking a "high value target", a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man. <br />The Gurkhas tried to take the Taliban leader's body away from the battlefield. But they came under heavy fire as they tried to do so.<br /><br />Military sources said that in the heat of battle, the Gurkha took out his curved khukri knife and beheaded the dead insurgent.<br />He is understood to have removed the man's head from the area, leaving the rest of his body on the battlefield.<br /><br />This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved. <br />British soldiers often return missing body parts once a battle has ended so the dead can be buried in one piece. <br /><br />A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident and have informed the Afghan authorities. An investigation is underway and it would not be appropriate to comment further until this is concluded."<br /></p>
<p>The soldier, who is in his early 20s, initially told investigators that he unsheathed his khukri - the symbolic weapon of the Gurkhas - after running out of ammunition, army sources said.<br /><br />But later the Taliban fighter was mutilated so his identity could be verified through DNA tests.<br /><br />"The soldier has been removed from duty and flown home. There is no sense of glory involved here, more a sense of shame. He should not have done what he did," the source said. <br /><br />The incident took place earlier this month when the Private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of Afghanistan's Helmand province, Daily Mail reported Sunday.<br /><br />His unit had been told that they were seeking a "high value target", a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man. <br />The Gurkhas tried to take the Taliban leader's body away from the battlefield. But they came under heavy fire as they tried to do so.<br /><br />Military sources said that in the heat of battle, the Gurkha took out his curved khukri knife and beheaded the dead insurgent.<br />He is understood to have removed the man's head from the area, leaving the rest of his body on the battlefield.<br /><br />This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved. <br />British soldiers often return missing body parts once a battle has ended so the dead can be buried in one piece. <br /><br />A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident and have informed the Afghan authorities. An investigation is underway and it would not be appropriate to comment further until this is concluded."<br /></p>