Two Dutch soldiers are suspected of carrying out an attack on their own Bushmaster armoured vehicle at the Dutch outpost Coyote north of Deh Rawod in the Afghan province of Uruzgan in March. The military police say the two men set off a grenade inside the vehicle. No one was injured or killed in the incident.

Michael Ruperti, the lawyer representing the two soldiers, has emphasised that his clients deny any involvement in the attack. Both the military police and the Public Prosecutors’ Office said they could not comment on the case. Mr Ruperti says that the defence ministry initially thought local people were responsible for the blast. The two suspects managed to abandon the military vehicle just seconds before it blew up.

The military police immediately launched an investigation and questioned the two solders as victims. However, after a few months the two were suddenly ordered to report to the military police in the Netherlands. Much to their surprise, they were told they were considered suspects. The military police informed Mr Ruperti that their investigation showed the two soldiers carried out the attack themselves.

One of the two suspected soldiers has since left the army, and sources say he has left the country. The other is still in the army and has not been suspended.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide