The Afghan government on Wednesday said it was “disgusted” by the alleged abuse of Afghan children by two British soldiers and demanded an immediate investigation into the case. The Sun newspaper in Britain reported that a sergeant and a private from the Mercian Battle Group had been arrested over claims that they abused an Afghan boy and a girl, both aged about 10, and filmed the incidents. The allegation comes less than a week after a video emerged showing US Marines urinating on the corpses of militants in Afghanistan.
“The government of Afghanistan is immensely disgusted by the rise in recent incidents of immoral nature among foreign soldiers,” President Hamid Karzai’s office said.
“(Such incidents) clearly undermine public confidence and the Afghan people’s cooperation with foreign troops.” The statement said the government was “deeply disturbed by reports that two British soldiers have encouraged two Afghan children to touch them through their clothes”.
“The Afghan government asks the UK government to launch an immediate probe into the report and apply necessary punishment to those involved in the act,” it added.
In London, a British Defence Ministry spokesman said, “We are aware that an allegation has been made concerning alleged inappropriate behaviour by two servicemen in Afghanistan.