Leading German Protestant Expresses Shock at Afghanistan Skull Photos

The most senior bishop of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has condemned the desecration of a human skull by German soldiers in Afghanistan.

|PIC1|German newspaper Bild published pictures Wednesday of German soldiers serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan showing off the skull like a battle trophy.

In one of the pictures, a soldier mounts the skull on the cablecutter at the front of a patrol vehicle, which bears both the German flag and the acronym for the international force, ISAF.
In another picture, a soldier kitted out in his camouflage uniform and a bullet-proof vest poses with the skull next to his exposed penis.

Bishop Wolfgang Huber, the top bishop of the EKD - Germany's Protestant Church - said the acts in the pictures were a "perversion".

He added that such "shocking incidents" were not a reason to withdraw German armed forces from Afghanistan but maintained that non-violent solutions to conflicts remained a priority for the EKD.

Roman Catholic military chaplain Stefan Scheifele described the incidents as a "cry for help from home" and urged increased support for soldiers abroad. He said: "Often no one in Germany is interested in what the soldiers in the field are being put through."

The Catholic Church's Military Bishop Dr Walter Mixa said meanwhile that the actions revealed the need for the conversation about God in society to be rekindled. He also expressed the fear that the Muslim world would not so quickly forget the incidents and that they could trigger a "hostile reaction" towards German soldiers in the regions where they are militarily engaged.

Six men have since been identified by the German army as possible suspects, Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Thursday as the country remains outraged by the photos.