The U.S. Marine Corps says one of its scout sniper teams in Afghanistan had posed for a photo in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the Nazi SS.
The September 2010 photo, which circulated on an blog, was taken in the Sangin district of the southern province of Helmand.
In a statement on February 9, Marine spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Upton said the use of the SS symbol was unacceptable, and that the Corps had now addressed the issue.
He did not specify what action had been taken, but said the Marines in the photo are no longer in that unit.
The U.S. military released a statement later saying the incident "was not found to be racially motivated" and that the Marines involved "acknowledged the symbol…is not in keeping with our Marine ethos and values."
The statement said "the commander determined that disciplinary action was not warranted."
Compiled from agency reports