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The military said they would receive administrative discipline, which could include actions such as a reprimand, reduction in rank or forfeiture of pay. Neither incident so far has resulted in criminal charges, something that may fail to satisfy Afghan demands for justice.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai branded the Marine’s actions in the video as “inhuman” and he initially called a public trial for the soldiers over the Koran incident.

The Marine Corps announced three Marines had pleaded guilty to charges over the video, including one for “urinating on the body of a deceased Taliban soldier.” Another wrongfully posed for a photo with human casualties and the third lied about the incident to investigators.
Their identities were not disclosed.

The video, which became public in January after the images were posted on the Internet, actually took place on or around July 27, 2011 during a counter-insurgency operation in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the Marines said, describing findings of the investigation.

One of the four Marines shown in the video can be heard saying, “Have a nice day, buddy,” while another makes a lewd joke, as he urinated on three corpses.

Disciplinary actions against other Marines involved in the incident will be announced at a later date, the Marine Corps said in a statement.

The Army was also expected to give details shortly about six soldiers who are receiving administrative punishments over an incident in which copies of the Koran and other religious material were removed from a prison library and sent to an incinerator to be destroyed, a US official said on condition of anonymity.—Reuters.