ALLEGATIONS that Australian special forces soldiers cut the hands off at least one dead Afghan insurgent are reportedly the subject of an internal defence investigation.
Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief General David Hurley revealed in May that an inquiry was under way but gave no details of what was was being investigated.
He referred to this as only "an incident of potential misconduct".
In a statement released on Friday, Defence gave no details but said the investigation was ongoing.
"The ADF takes any potential occurrence of misconduct by Australian personnel very seriously," it said.
However, the ABC says it understands the investigation is into the removal of the hands from the corpse of at least one insurgent and that these were taken back to the base at Tarin Kowt, possibly for fingerprinting.
Australian troops seek to identify all dead insurgents for intelligence purposes.
This claim related to an operation, in which four insurgents were killed, that targeted an insurgent commander and involved Afghan forces and Australia's Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) in Zabul province on April 28. Zabul adjoins Oruzgan Province where the SOTG is based.
"An incident of potential misconduct during the operation has been raised through the internal national command chain," General Hurley said in the statement in May 8.
It was being investigated by the ADF in cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force.
Defence said on Friday that Australian troops operated under strict rules of engagement designed to protect troops, while ensuring their actions remained consistent with obligations under Australian and international law.
"The ADF also takes all reasonable steps to ensure its operations do not breach Afghan customs or cause offence by inadvertently disrespecting religious beliefs or norms," it said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he had full confidence in Australia's men and women in Afghanistan.
"If any matters have arisen concerning their conduct, I have full confidence in the chief of the defence's capacity to investigate," he told reporters in Perth.
"I believe we should wait for that investigatory process to reach a conclusion."
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