Soldier photos (SIDEBAR) - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

The editor of the Los Angeles Times said they considered "very carefully" whether to publish photos showing U.S. soldiers posing with dead suicide bombers.

In a live chat on the Times website, editor Devan Maharaj said they believed the public interest was served by a release of two of the 18 photos they received.

Maharaj also said Times staff questioned the soldier who provided the photos about "where, when and under what circumstances they were taken." He said they then independently verified his identity and the details of his service in Afghanistan, as well as the soldiers who were pictured.

"We shared the images with the Pentagon, and officials there did not question their authenticity," Maharaj said. "Our photo editors also inspected the pictures and found no indication that any of them had been altered or manipulated."

Photo editor Colin Crawford addressed the picture on the front page, which appeared to show a soldier with a missing hand. He said the appearance was from "a strange angle on the image."

"The soldier is wearing black gloves on both hands, his left hand is underneath the body pushing it forward," Crawford said. "This makes it appear that his hand is cut off but it is actually just the angle."