U.S. Troops Sentenced in Abuse Case

Five members of an elite U.S. Army unit have been sentenced to up to six months’ confinement in cases concerning the abuse of detainees in Iraq, the military said Monday.

The five, all from the 75th Ranger Regiment, pleaded guilty during courts-martial this month and received sentences ranging from 30-day to six-month confinements and reductions in rank, the military said. Two of them will also be dishonorably discharged from the Army after serving their time.

It did not identify any of the soldiers. The statement said the charges were brought after an investigation into allegations of abuse on Sept. 7, but did not provide details of the nature of the abuse or where it took place.

All five pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, while four pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery and two pleaded guilty to maltreatment.

In November, the U.S. military announced that five soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment had been charged in connection with a Sept. 7 incident “in which three detainees were allegedly punched and kicked.”