The Bild newspaper published five photos on Wednesday showing men dressed in German combat fatigues playing with the skull of a dead man.

    One photo shows that one of the soldiers, who is members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), posing with the skull in his right hand aboard military vehicles.

    "It's absolutely clear that we cannot tolerate such behavior by German soldiers," German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung commented, ordering an investigation into the matter.

    The soldiers will have to face disciplinary consequences and possible criminal prosecution if the photos were proved to be genuine, he said.

    "It is revolting and disgusting," said Bernhard Gertz, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association.

    Quoting a member of the German armed forces, Bild said that the incident took place near the Afghan capital of Kabul in 2003.

    The paper said that it was unclear whether the skull was that of an Afghan or a Russian killed during the war from 1979-1989, but it apparently came from a mass grave.

    Germany has deployed around 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan for peacekeeping duties.

A German woman reads the Bild newspaper in Bremen, northern Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006.  (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

A German ISAF soldier stands next to a vehicle in Afghanistan in this April 22, 2005 file photo.(Xinhua/AFP, File Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

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