Afghanistan

Taliban finger cutting soldiers cleared

Three servicemen have been cleared of cutting off the fingers of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to keep as trophies.

The Ministry of Defence's Special Investigation Branch began an investigation after allegations were made against a Lieutenant, Captain and a Private.

All three claimed they removed the fingers to identify the dead insurgents because there was no time to set up a biometrics camera to collect ID data.

Now the Service Prosecuting Authority has accepted the explanation from the men, who were deployed in Helmand from September 2010 until April last year.

The MOD says the men made a "serious error in judgement" but that Army basic training had been adapted to reinforce the guidance on the treatment of the bodies of enemy fighters.