Six German soldiers suspended from duty in skull scandal

The German military has suspended four more soldiers for their involvement in a scandal over photos showing troops playing with human skulls in Afghanistan, bringing the total number of suspensions to six, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

A total of 23 people who have served in Afghanistan, 16 of them still active soldiers, were now under suspicion, ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe told a regular government news conference.

He said the investigation only targeted low-ranking soldiers, some of whom had already left the army.

Germany's Bild newspaper published five pictures on its front page last week, showing uniformed German peacekeepers holding up skulls near the Afghan capital Kabul in early 2003. The newspaper said it was unclear where the skulls had come from.

The scandal immediately provoked widespread disgust and prompted investigations by the military and prosecutors.

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung announced the first two suspensions on Friday. On Tuesday, the Luebecker Nachrichten daily quoted an army general as saying that three soldiers at a unit in northern Germany "have confessed completely to the case, and have shown remorse over the incident."

Defense Ministry officials have also expressed concern that German soldiers and nationals could be targeted by insurgents because of the images.

Germany has about 2,500 soldiers serving in Afghanistan as part of the 30,000-strong International Security Assistance Force.

Source: Xinhua