Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Polish soldiers destroyed a hut situated in a deserted village in Afghanistan “for fun,” a Polish daily, which gained access to a three-minute video of the incident, reports.

(The video of the incident is available here. Scroll to the bottom to view.)

The video opens with a view of apparently abandoned dwellings in a barren landscape. The stillness is shattered when an explosion obliterates one of the structures.

“Beautiful!” a Polish soldier subsequently exclaims.

The incident was recorded during the army's sixth rotation in Afghanistan, a tour of duty extending between October 2009 and April 2010.

Remarking on the event a non-commissioned officer who served in Afghanistan during the time of the incident told Rzeczpospolita, “It was done for fun.”

Destroying non-military structures is in direct contravention of the Geneva Conventions, which state that warring parties must protect civilians.

“The prohibition of attacking civilian objects is a cornerstone of international law, regardless of whether the object is worth millions of dollars or if it is neglected hut,” Elżbieta Mikos-Skuza, vice president of the Polish Red Cross, and an expert on humanitarian law, told Rzeczpospolita.

“If it’s true, it is criminal and impermissible,” General Janusz Bronowicz, head of the Polish Army’s armored units in Afghanistan during the sixth rotation, told the daily.

To date, three soldiers have been charged in relation to the incident, which could carry a maximum jail sentence of three years. The material contained in the video is being used as evidence in the case.