The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation after footage emerged showing British soldiers in Kabul firing paintball rounds at a picture of Jeremy Corbyn.
The clip, posted to social media with a banner saying “HAPPY WITH THAT”, shows four army personnel from the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment firing off a number of rounds.
The camera then pans down the range to reveal a large picture of the Labour leader, now covered in paint marks.
It is understood it was a non-lethal hardened wax substance was used instead of metal bullets, with the incident taking place in the past few days.
The Labour leader said he was “shocked” by the footage.
Brigadier Nick Perry, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said the Army is conducting a full investigation and wants to get to the bottom of what happened.
“This is a serious error of judgment,” Brig Perry said. “Let me be clear – the Army is, and always will be, an apolitical organisation.
“We have 400 soldiers from the Brigade conducting force protection in Afghanistan, and working closely with both Nato and Afghan partners. These soldiers are doing an outstanding job out there.”
A spokesperson for the MoD said “a full investigation has been launched” adding the video is “totally unacceptable and falls well below the high standards the army expects”.
Corbyn said: “I’m shocked, obviously, that this sort of thing has happened.
“I hope the Ministry of Defence will conduct an inquiry into it and find out what was going on and who did that.”
Referring to the threats against Rosie Cooper and the atmosphere in British politics, Corbyn said: “Yes people have disagreements and yes people have divisions.
“Conduct those divisions and disagreements in a respectful way. Don’t descend into something ugly and violent.”
Labour MP Angela Rayner called the video “absolutely disgraceful”. In a tweet she added: “Political tensions are heightened at the moment and this type of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and unacceptable, we expect much better from our Army and soldiers.”
MP Jess Philips described the video as “absolutely hideous and irresponsible”.
Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith later revealed she had written to her Tory counterpart, Gavin Williamson, asking him to “condemn this footage immediately” and “commit to ensuring that the investigation is thorough and carried out in a timely manner”.
In the letter posted on Twitter, she added that the “appalling footage comes at a time when members of Parliament face an unprecedented level of threat to their personal safety”.
Labour has been contacted for comment.
It comes after far-right activist Tommy Robinson posted a photograph of himself surrounded by grinning soldiers in October – prompting another Army probe.
The former English Defence League leader also shared a video featuring Army personnel who cheered and shouted his name.
At the time, the Army said it was aware of the image and footage and was “investigating the circumstances”, adding that a “far-right ideology is completely at odds with the values and ethos of the armed forces”.