Britain Probes Photos of 'RAF Man with Dead Taliban Fighter'

W460

Britain's military said on Friday it was investigating photographs that appear to show a serviceman in Afghanistan posing beside a dead Taliban fighter.

The pictures were allegedly taken in the aftermath of a 2012 attack by the Taliban on Camp Bastion, the main British base in Afghanistan.

The images first appeared on Live Leak, a website sometimes used by servicemen to post photographs of incidents during tours of duty.

The BBC reported that two members of the Royal Air Force Regiment -- the ground-fighting force of the RAF -- have been withdrawn from frontline duties while the incident is investigated.

Two U.S. marines were killed and a number of British soldiers were injured in the attack on Camp Bastion in the September 2012 attack.

The photographs appear to show at least one member of the RAF giving a thumbs-up sign as he kneels next to the body of a dead insurgent.

It is unclear if it is the same serviceman in both of the photographs.

Another photograph shows a burned-out plane in a hangar -- six U.S. Harriet jets were destroyed in the attack.

An RAF spokeswoman said: "Inappropriate actions will not be tolerated in the armed forces; the RAF is treating this incident extremely seriously and has launched a military police investigation.

"As this incident is subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

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