UK soldier 'collected Taliban body parts'

The Ministry of Defence is investigating claims that a British soldier kept body parts of dead Taliban fighters as "souvenirs".

The allegations, made against a soldier believed to be from The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, are being looked into by the MoD's Special Investigation Branch.

It was reported that the soldier had collected the fingers of members of the Taliban in Afghanistan to keep as "trophies".

The allegations centre around the regiment's last tour of duty in the country, between September 2010 and April this year.

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