Mullahs to Marines: Earn Our Trust or Leave

Hillary Clinton calls incident possible war crime

(NEWSER) - Investigators have identified the four Marines shown in a video apparently urinating on Taliban corpses, and they could be charged today, CBS News reports. The military has interviewed at least two of the men on the matter as officials scramble to address its fallout. "Anyone, anyone found to have participated or know about it, having engaged in such conduct, must be held fully accountable," said Hillary Clinton yesterday, calling the incident a potential war crime. All four were members of a sniper team in a unit that lost seven members in action last summer in Afghanistan. More»

USMC is investigating clip apparently of dead Taliban fighters

(NEWSER) - The Pentagon has a potentially nasty scandal on its hands: The US Marine Corps says it is investigating a 40-second video that surfaced today on YouTube and elsewhere that appears to show four Marines urinating on the corpses of three Taliban fighters, reports the Air Force Times . The men joke about it as they do so, with one saying, "Have a great day, buddy." If the video proves to be legit, the desecration might constitute a war crime, a senior USMC official tells CNN . Here's a TMZ link to the video, but be warned that it's graphic. More»

Elite squads dropped behind Taliban lines as offensive continues

(NEWSER) - US Marines seized a compound that appears to have been the Taliban's Marjah headquarters after a fierce gunfight Friday. The compound just south of the town center contained dozens of Taliban-issued ID cards and diplomas from a Taliban training camp in Pakistan, the AP reports. Small groups of fighters abandoned bunkers and fled as the Marines closed in. More»

Insurgents deny NATO's claims of early success

(AP) - A Taliban spokesman says Afghan insurgents are still in control of the southern town of Marjah amid ongoing fighting with NATO and Afghan forces. Spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said by phone today that Taliban fighters are holding their ground, and that Afghan government claims of 20 dead Taliban fighters were exaggerated. He put the number at two Taliban fighters killed and two wounded, but declined to say how many fighters the Taliban have in the area. More»

(AP) - US Marines battled Taliban fighters today for control of a strategic southern town in a new operation to cut militant supply lines and allow Afghan residents to vote in next week's presidential election. Insurgents appeared to dig in for a fight, firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds, and even missiles from the back of a truck. Officers predicted days of combat before the town is secured. More»