An official says the Marine Corps has identified at least two of the four Marines in an internet video that purports to depict them urinating on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan.

A Marine official said Thursday that the four were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, which returned to its home base in North Carolina last fall after a tour in Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because a criminal investigation is under way.

The official said that at least some of the four Marines are no longer in that battalion. He provided no other details.

The matter is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the worldwide law enforcement arm of the Navy.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has promised Afghan President Hamid Karzai a full investigation. Panetta has ordered the Marine Corps and the top commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan to investigate the video, which he calls “utterly deplorable.”

The Afghan president calls it “completely inhumane.” The Afghan Defense Ministry calls it “shocking.” And a Taliban statement accuses U.S. forces of committing numerous “indignities” against the Afghan people.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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