Australian Troops Investigated for Mistreating Afghan Dead

Cut off hands for fingerprinting

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian special forces troops are under investigation for allegedly cutting off the hands of at least one dead insurgent in Afghanistan, a national broadcaster reported Friday.

The hands were brought back to the Australian base in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province to be fingerprinted after a battle in which four insurgents were killed, Australian Broadcasting Corp. said.

The Australian Defense Force confirmed that it is investigating "an incident of potential misconduct" during a combined operation of the Afghan National Security Forces and Australia's Special Operations Task Group in Zabul province in April, but didn't provide details.