desecration of corpses

In January 2012 members of the battalion were identified as having been involved in the alleged desecration of corpses in Afghanistan.

After the bodies began turning up at the Tri-State Crematory two weeks ago, state officials were furious that the law provided no serious penalty for the desecration of corpses.

Human cadavers have been dissected by physicians since at least the 3rd century BC, but throughout history, prevailing religious views on the desecration of corpses often meant that such work was performed in secrecy.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses by US Marines.

So far, however, officials have been able to charge the crematory's manager, Ray Brent Marsh, only with five counts of theft by deception, because the state has no law prohibiting the desecration of corpses that have not been buried.

The US military command in Kabul, which was severely embarrassed last year by revelations that Americans soldiers were running a "kill squad" murdering Afghan civilians, said it would investigate the undated video, and that if it proved to be authentic, desecration of corpses would be regarded as a serious crime.