Investigation into Lejeune YouTube video moves forward

GREENVILLE, N.C. - There are some new developments in the investigation into a YouTube video of our Marines.

You may recall reports about a group of Camp Lejeune Marines seen urinating on what authorities believe are Taliban corpses.

Pentagon officials tell us the investigation is now in the hands of the legal staff at Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

The group will review all the facts and make punishment recommendations to the commanding general.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Newspapers associated with the Raleigh News and Observer are reporting new information on a controversial YouTube video showing Marines urinating on dead bodies.

McClatchy Newspapers reports one of the Marines urinating on what appears to be Taliban corpses was also the team's unit leader.

The Marines in the video are members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines sniper squad out of Camp Lejeune.

Marine headquarters in Washington would not comment on the information.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – Officials say that four Marines in an internet video that purportedly shows them urinating on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, which returned to Camp Lejeune last fall.

The four men in the video were identified as Marines based out of Camp Lejeune.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity. That same official said that at least some of the four Marines are no longer with that battalion. No other details were immediately available.

Those Marines are now under supervision of their commanders, meaning they will stay with their units until further notice.  The amount of restricted movement depends on the commander’s judgment.

All four Marines have been interviewed.  At least three have requested to hire a lawyer.  Marine officials say during the interview some of them would not give investigators permission to search their belongings.

The top Marine officer, Gen. James Amos, appointed three-star Gen. Thomas Waldhauser to oversee the case. Waldhauser named another officer to do an internal Marine Corps investigation, which is in addition to a criminal probe under way by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Officials are concerned the video could threaten peace talks in Afghanistan, but the Obama administration and the Taliban have said they want to move forward with exploratory talks while “pledging to carry on the military conflict until their rival objectives are met.”

Also under investigation, whether the acts shown in the video violate international war law.

Earlier Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described the video as "utterly deplorable."

Panetta has ordered the Marine Corps and a military command office to "immediately and fully investigate the incident."  In a statement Thursday he said, "this conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military." It adds that the incident "does not reflect the standards or values our armed forces are sworn to uphold."

The secretary vowed that "those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent."

The Marine Corps says it has not yet verified the YouTube video but commanders believe they have identified the men's unit that is back in the United States.

A statement from the Commandant of the Marine Corps has also been released, stating, "I have viewed an internet video that depicts Marines desecrating several dead Taliban in Afghanistan.

I want to be clear and unambiguous, the behavior depicted in the video is wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history. Accordingly, late yesterday I requested that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service pull together a team of their very best agents and immediately assign them responsibility to thoroughly investigate every aspect of the filmed event. Additionally, I am assigning a Marine General Officer and senior attorney, both with extensive combat experience, to head up an internal Preliminary Inquiry into the matter.  Once the investigation and Preliminary Inquiry are complete and the facts have been determined, then the Marine Corps will take the appropriate next steps. Rest assured that the institution of the Marine Corps will not rest until the allegations and the events surrounding them have been resolved. We remain fully committed to upholding the Geneva Convention, the Laws of War, and our own core values."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the video circulating online. He described the act as “inhumane” and asked the U.S. military to punish those involved.

In response, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said, "With respect to the implications of this, as I said yesterday, the United States remains strongly committed to helping build a secure, peaceful, prosperous, democratic future for the people of Afghanistan. And we will continue to support efforts that will be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned to pursue the possibility of reconciliation and peace. We don't have any idea standing here today what the outcome of such discussions could be. I think all of us are entering into it with a very realistic sense of what is possible. And that includes, of course, President Karzai and his government, which after all bear the ultimate responsibility and the consequences of any such discussions."

The Marine Corps announced Wednesday it’s investigating the video. The caption on the video says they are Marines from Camp Lejeune standing over dead Taliban insurgents. However, that is just the caption. Official confirmation on that information has not yet been released.

"While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and not indicative of the character of the Marines in our corp.  Finally, this matter will be fully investigated," a spokesperson for the U.S. military said.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has released a statement condemning the act if it is indeed verified to by the U.S. Military to be Camp Lejeune Marines.

The International Security Assistance Force also spoke out against the video. The ISAF also said Thursday the personnel shown in the video are no longer serving there. The NATO-led force did not identify the people shown in the video, or explain why it thought they left the country.

Nine on Your Side did some investigating of our own.

Listening to the video you can hear the men ask "You got it on video?" and "Have a great day, buddy."

We checked and found there is a unit that the YouTube video names at Camp Lejeune.  We also found that unit did deploy to Afghanistan back in March of 2011.

The video is said to show a sniper team and if you look at the man on the right, he is carrying what appears to be a 30-caliber sniper rifle which is often used by sniper teams in the Marine Corps.

The Pentagon says if the video is true, it’s not what the Marine Corps stands for.

"An important part of being a Marine is to accomplish the mission while adhering to our core values," said Capt. Greg Wolf, Pentagon Marine Headquarters Spokesperson.

Waldhauser will decide what to do as a result of the investigations.