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Australian soldier drinks beer from dead Taliban fighter’s prosthetic leg
A photograph obtained by The Guardian shows a senior Australian special forces soldier drinking beer out of the prosthetic leg of a dead Taliban fighter at an unauthorised bar on a base in Uruzgan province, in Afghanistan, in 2009.
The picture of the beer swilling soldier comes amid a growing scandal following the release of a report recently that Australia’s special forces were allegedly responsible for the unlawful death of 39 Afghans.
A number of photographs obtained by the Guardian show the senior soldier drinking from the leg in an unofficial bar known as the Fat Lady’s Arms, which was set up inside Australia’s special forces base in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan province, in 2009, The Guardian reported.
Another photo appears to show two soldiers performing a dance with the leg.
The photograph is the first to be published that confirms previous reports of the practice of using the leg as a drinking vessel, The Guardian reported.
According to the report, some soldiers have said the practice was widely tolerated by officers at high levels and even involved some of them – despite the limb potentially being a war trophy, which Australians soldiers were forbidden from taking from the battlefield.
The Guardian said the leg is believed to have belonged to a suspected Taliban fighter killed during a special forces raid on two compounds and a tunnel complex in Uruzgan in April 2009.
The news outlet stated that the leg was eventually mounted on a wooden plaque under the heading Das Boot, alongside an Iron Cross – a military decoration used in Nazi Germany. The leg travelled with the squadron at all times, one former trooper told the Guardian.
“Wherever the Fat Lady’s Arms was set up, then that’s where the leg was kept and used occasionally for drinking out of,” he said.
The soldier also said that senior commanders would occasionally visit the bar and would have seen the leg and potentially the practice of drinking from it.
The Guardian reported that rumours that pictures exist of high-ranking officers drinking from the leg have long been circulating in the Australian special forces community and Australian media have also reported about the leg’s existence.
The Guardian stated meanwhile that the war crimes report, released recently, did not mention whether any soldiers were under investigation for taking trophies but did mention the Fat Lady’s Arms as being an example of how ethical leadership was compromised.
The report said of the unauthorised bar that this involved “the toleration, acceptance and participation in a widespread disregard for behavioural norms: such as drinking on operations, the Fat Lady’s Arms, and lax standards of dress, personal hygiene and behaviour – and not only on operations – which would not have been tolerated elsewhere in Army”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly condemned Friday’s suicide bombing at a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, which left 31 people dead and 179 others wounded.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that the Islamic Emirate considers such attacks—which violate the sanctity of religious rites and mosques and target worshippers and civilians—to be contrary to Islamic and human values.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.
A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and wounded nearly 170 others during Friday prayers at a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, Reuters reported, citing police and government officials.
Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted mosque floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris and panicked worshippers.
Dozens more wounded were lying in the gardens of the Khadija Tul Kubra Imambargah, in a semi-urban area on the outskirts of Islamabad, as people called for help.
Bombings are rare in the heavily guarded capital, although Pakistan has been hit by a rising wave of militancy in the past few years.
“The death toll in the blast has risen. A total of 31 people have lost their lives. The number of wounded brought to hospitals has risen to 169,” Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Memon said in a statement.
Two police officials said the attacker was stopped at the gate of the mosque before detonating the bomb. They asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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Central Asian leaders are urging Pakistan to improve Afghanistan policies, says Khalilzad
Former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has highlighted the strategic importance of Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan, noting that visiting Central Asian leaders are likely encouraging Islamabad to strengthen its policies toward Kabul.
In a post on X, Khalilzad emphasized that Central Asian nations have a strategic interest in access to Pakistan and beyond, including the sea, to support their trade and connectivity projects. He pointed out that these countries are particularly focused on developing railways, pipelines, telecommunications, and electricity networks linking Central Asia and Pakistan—a move he said would also serve Pakistan’s interests.
“Of course, Afghanistan’s role is vital to the goal of regional connectivity and development,” Khalilzad said. “Stability in Afghanistan and good Pakistan/Afghanistan relations are the absolute prerequisite.”
He suggested that the Central Asian leaders visiting Islamabad are urging improvements in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policies and expressed hope that Pakistani authorities would listen to these recommendations.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that Afghanistan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denied the charge, saying it could not be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.
Trade between the two countries remains suspended following a deadly clash near the Durand Line in October.
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