Bones Of Contention

OLEG POPOV / REUTERS

PRESENCE: A German troop truck in Kabul

For months, the Taliban in Afghanistan have been honing their p.r. skills, launching a website and handing out spokesmen's phone numbers to reporters, in a bid to convince Afghans of the moral degeneracy of the international forces in their country. Most of their reports have been fabricated.

But last week, true stories broke to rival their worst propaganda. On Oct. 25, the German daily Bild published German soldiers' snapshots depicting up to six of them posing with human bones, possibly those of Afghan war victims. In one photo, taken near Kabul in 2003, a grinning...

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