US probes urination on dead Taliban fighters

"While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps," the Corps said in a statement Wednesday, promising the matter "will be fully investigated".

In the video, four men in US camouflage combat uniforms appear to be urinating on the corpses of three dead Taliban fighters. One of the soldiers joked: "Have a nice day, buddy," Xinhua reported.

It remained unclear who shot and posted the video on the internet.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the video is "deeply troubling", because it depicts "egregious behaviour".

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a US Muslim civil rights group, condemned the desecration of corpses in a letter sent to US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta.
"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws," the group said in the letter, which was also sent to media organisations.