Three Danish soldiers have been sent home from Afghanistan and accused of possessing illegal ammunition by the military’s Judge Advocate General (JAG).

Two privates and an officer have been charged with having 20 rounds of hollow point bullets, also known as dum-dums, in their pistols.

Dum-dum bullets expand on impact, causing much more damage than conventional ammunition, and have been banned for use in military operations since the 1899 Hague Convention.
Peter Otken of JAG confirmed three Danes had been charged, but stressed there was no indication any of the soldiers had ever fired the bullets.

The case has led to an examination of all pistols being carried by Danish soldiers serving in Afghanistan, but no further illegal ammunition has been found.

Col Henrik Sommer said that he could not recall any previous violations of a war convention and the Danish branch of aid organisation Doctors without Borders has called the case ‘completely unacceptable’.

The three soldiers have been charged under a military penal code that could see them face life imprisonment.