Pakistan to investigate 'extra-judicial killings' video

Pakistan's army chief has ordered an inquiry into a video that showed the killing of six unarmed men allegedly by an army firing squad.

The video, which was apparently shot with a mobile phone, appeared on a website several weeks ago.

It shows a group of men in army uniform who drag six blindfolded civilians into a line, and then shoot them.

The video's authenticity cannot be verified. Pakistan's military said last week it had been fabricated.

Last year the Pakistani army conducted a major operation against Taliban militants in the north-western district of Swat where it was often accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings of suspected militants.

Army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has appointed a two-star general to head a board of inquiry which will seek to determine the identity of the uniformed men in the video.

He has warned, however, that this may be an attempt by the militants to malign the army. Militants disguised as army soldiers have carried out attacks against civilians in the past, he said.