NATO bans taking photos in combat areas

ISTANBUL

Members of the German NATO Kosovo forces (KFOR) stand at ease at the Pristina Military Airport near the town of Slatina on May 24, 2012, before leaving Kosovo. AFP Photo

NATO has banned officials from any form of recording or photography in combat areas following recent scandals that revealed footage of U.S. soldiers' mistreatment of enemy corpses, daily Hürriyet reported.
 
The ban will be applied to over 36,000 troops in the field, 15,800 of whom are American.
 
The decision followed several scandals that have had an extremely negative impact on NATO’s image overseas. Last February, a group of American soldiers were filmed urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban members and in April, a second wave erupted after an American soldier leaked photos of members of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan posing for pictures with the body parts of Afghan suicide bombers.
 
Members of NATO forces will now be able to film or take pictures only on base camps during their free time. Only those who are specifically assigned will be able to take pictures during combat.