MoD probes claim Scottish soldier cut fingers off dead Taleban fighters

The soldier is believed to be from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The allegations centre around the regiment's last tour of duty in Afghanistan, between September 2010 and April this year.

The Ministry of Defence has described the claims as "very serious".

The inquiry is being carried out by detectives from the special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police. The unit is the military equivalent of the CID in civilian police forces.

British soldiers serving in operational theatres overseas are governed by the military criminal justice system. If charged, the soldier would face a court martial.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders are based in Canterbury, Kent, but the battalion's rank and file is drawn from Scotland, with Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven a strong recruitment area.

Clive Fairweather, a retired colonel and SAS commander, who was an honorary colonel of the Argylls' Cadet Force, said he was "shocked" by the allegations.

He went on: "I find this absolutely inexplicable - I simply cannot understand why someone would do this.

"Throughout training, it is drummed into soldiers that they must treat enemy dead with the same respect they treat their own dead. I have been in situations where there have, of course, been dead enemy soldiers.

"If you cannot get them evacuated by helicopter, then you give them a decent burial.

"In all my time in the army, both with Scottish soldiers and with the SAS, I have never heard of anything like this happening. Taking trophies from dead combatants is a sure-fire way to provoke anger in the local population."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie called for urgent action to be taken if the allegations were true.

He said: "If these sickening acts were the result of severe military trauma, then the army needs to act quickly to ensure that others are not suffering in this way," he said.

The claims also met with shock at the Veterans' Charity.

A spokesman said: "There is no-one in the armed forces who would condone these actions.

"That said, unless you have been there, it's impossible to understand the stresses these highly professional soldiers are placed under."I would hope that the soldier concerned would be offered the proper support if these allegations are found to be true."

Douglas Young, executive chairman of the British Armed Forces Federation, was also shocked to learn of the investigation.

He said: "While the facts still need to be established, if there turns out to be anything in these claims, clearly the MoD are correct to treat the matter very seriously. The alleged behaviour is totally out of kilter with the ethos of the armed forces."

It is not known whether the soldier in question has been suspended while the case is being looked into.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "This is a very serious allegation and it would be wrong for us to comment. An investigation is ongoing."