The U.S. military in Afghanistan is investigating claims that U.S. soldiers desecrated the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters and mocked Islamic customs in an effort to taunt insurgents. U.S. officials worry the reports could provoke a backlash against Americans in Muslim countries.
MELISSA BLOCK, host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.  I'm Melissa Block.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And I'm Robert Siegel.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: The US military in Afghanistan says it's investigating allegations that      American soldiers desecrated the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters.  A      videotape also appears to show the men mocking Islamic customs in an      effort to taunt other guerrillas into a fight.  As NPR's Corey Flintoff      reports, the US is worried that the tape could provoke a backlash against      Americans in Muslim countries around the world.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: COREY FLINTOFF reporting:</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, host: The allegations surfaced in a TV program aired by Australia's SBS      Television Network.  It contained video that showed American soldiers      burning the bodies of two suspected Taliban fighters in a remote      mountainous area in southern Afghanistan.  Stephen Dupont, the journalist      who shot the video, said he was embedded with the Army's 173rd Airborne      Brigade, and that the men were following orders.</s>Mr. STEPHEN DUPONT (Journalist): Basically, you know, we'd been told to      burn the bodies because the bodies have been here for 24 hours and      they're starting to stink.  So for hygiene purposes, this is what we're      going to do.</s>FLINTOFF: Later, Dupont said some soldiers from a psychological      operations unit, psyops, positioned the bodies so they were facing toward      Mecca and used loudspeakers to broadcast taunting messages in the      direction of a nearby village, which was believed to be harboring Taliban      fighters.  One soldier shown in the video translated the message this      way:  `Attention, Taliban:  You are all cowardly dogs.  You allowed your      fighters to be laid down facing west and burned.  You're too scared to      come down and retrieve their bodies.  This just proves that you're the      lady-boys we always believed you to be.'</s>FLINTOFF: Ibrahim Hooper is the communications director for CAIR, the Council on      American-Islamic Relations.  He says the actions of the psyops team were      a deliberate effort to inflame Muslim sensibilities.</s>Mr. IBRAHIM HOOPER (Communications Director, Council on American-Islamic      Relations): Muslims, when you bury the dead, you position them--the      bodies facing Mecca.  And also, cremation is prohibited by Islamic      tradition.  So to have American military personnel mocking these      religious traditions and sensitivities sends a very negative message to      Muslims in Afghanistan and throughout the world.</s>FLINTOFF: Stephen Dupont told an Australian interviewer that he didn't      believe the men who set fire to the bodies knew they were violating      Muslim traditions, but the psyops soldiers did.</s>Mr. STEPHEN DUPONT (Journalist): I think that the psychological operations unit that did the      broadcast of the incident with the Taliban, including some other      broadcasts--I think they're quite well aware of it.  These are older      guys.  I mean, that's their job.  They're psyops, you know; they use this      as a weapon.</s>FLINTOFF: Major Matt McLaughlin, a spokesman for the Army Central      Command, says the Army has launched a criminal investigation.</s>FLINTOFF: Major MATT McLAUGHLIN (Spokesman, Army Central Command):  These are      extremely serious allegations.  That's absolutely unacceptable behavior.      But let us be very clear:  It is the policy of the US military to treat      all human remains with absolute respect and dignity, consistent with the      Geneva Convention. Anything else is absolutely unacceptable.</s>FLINTOFF: A US military official familiar with the issue said the      investigation was ordered by the highest levels of the US command in      Afghanistan, and said the video was regarded as `horrific.'</s>FLINTOFF: Ibrahim Hooper says the Council on American-Islamic Relations is      concerned that the incident is one of many that represent a coarsening of      attitudes among US military people who are fighting in Afghanistan and      Iraq.  He says his group fears that some returning soldiers may bring      those prejudices home with them.</s>Mr. IBRAHIM HOOPER (Communications Director, Council on American-Islamic      Relations): We're concerned that you're going to eventually have a lot      of American military personnel coming back from these areas with very      negative attitudes about Islam and Muslims.  And what will happen when      these people are interacting with the millions of fellow citizens who are      Muslims?</s>FLINTOFF: The Afghan government said it has opened its own investigation      into the incident.  US officials, meanwhile, are concerned that the      charges could spur another round of protests like those last May,      triggered by allegations that US interrogators had flushed a Koran down a      toilet at Guantanamo Bay. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Washington.