US-Soldaten schänden Taliban-Leichen

--- Aus dem Propagandasektor des Kriegs gegen den Terror gibt es mal wieder Neuigkeiten, dieses Mal aus Afghanistan. Laut einem australischen TV-Report sollen demnach auf PsyOps spezialisierte US-Truppen zwei Leichen von Taliban-Kämpfern unehrenvoll verbrannt und den restlichen Islamisten vor Ort Schmähbotschaften überbracht haben. Ob das wirklich eine effektive psychologische Operation darstellte?:

The Army is investigating a group of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan who were caught on videotape desecrating the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters and using the burning corpses in a propaganda effort to dare other militants to "come and fight like men." The tape, shot this month by an Australian photojournalist traveling with a U.S. Army unit, was aired on Australian television Wednesday and immediately drew concern from Pentagon officials. According to the report, the bodies were set afire on hills above the village of Gonbaz north of Kandahar after the two Taliban fighters were killed by U.S. soldiers the night before. Five soldiers stood around the fire, and two of them read messages trying to provoke militants. The messages, which apparently were broadcast to the Taliban, highlighted the fact that the bodies were laid out facing Mecca. "Attention Taliban: You are cowardly dogs," read one soldier, identified as psychological operations specialist Sgt. Jim Baker. "You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to retrieve the bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be." Another soldier, who was unidentified, read: "You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Talibs but you are a disgrace to the Muslim religion, and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are." A third soldier is heard saying, "Wow, look at the blood coming out of the mouth on that one." ... In Florida, headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan, officials released a statement pledging to investigate the "alleged misconduct." Officials also said they would take "legal and disciplinary action" if the corpse burning proved "contrary to the Geneva Convention and U.S. policy." "Under no circumstances does U.S. Central Command condone the desecration, abuse or inappropriate treatment of enemy combatants," the statement says.

Auch die islamistische Propaganda geht derweil weiter, so ist inzwischen bereits die dritte Serie aus der neuen TV-Wochenschau "Die Stimme des Kalifats" der al-Qaida im Irak veröffentlicht worden. Mehr dazu beim NEIN (Eintrag vom 12.10.2005). US-Truppen verkünden derweil, einen Propaganda-Spezialisten der Islamisten im Irak gefangen genommen zu haben: Yasir Khudr Muhammad Jasim Al Karbali, also known as Abu Dijana, was nabbed on September 25 and was the “propaganda cell leader for Karabilah, Al Qaim and Husaybah,” the military said in a statement.

<a href="http://del.icio.us/esmaggbe/propaganda" rel="tag">propaganda</a>, <a href="http://del.icio.us/esmaggbe/psy-ops" rel="tag">psy-ops</a>