Marines urinating on dead identified

Two of the four Marines shown apparently urinating on dead Taliban fighters in an online video have been identified by authorities, as the US races to contain fallout from the incident.

Military police investigators have now interviewed the two soldiers whose identities could be confirmed.
It's not known what penalties they could face, although US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that anyone "found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent".

All four were members of a sniper team with the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines, based in North Carolina. A Taliban spokesman has called the video "barbaric", and claimed that there were similar incidents which had gone unreported.

Yesterday, top officials in the US military condemned the video in an effort to stop negotiations being derailed. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also condemned the actions apparently depicted.