2 U.S. Soldiers to Be Tried in Assault Case

The U.S. military said Thursday that it would prosecute two soldiers for allegedly punching two detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach at a military base in Afghanistan.

The alleged assault occurred in early July in the southern province of Oruzgan. Neither detainee required medical attention, according to the military.

No date has been set for the trial, which will be held at Bagram, the U.S. military’s headquarters in Afghanistan.

The charges against Army Sgt. Kevin D. Myricks and Spc. James R. Hayes include conspiracy to maltreat, assault and dereliction of duty, a military statement said.

The two men could face a range of punishments, including prison sentences, U.S. military spokesman Army Lt. Col. Jerry O’Hara said. A third soldier faces nonjudicial punishment for allegedly having knowledge of the abuse but not reporting it, the statement said.

O’Hara said “the decision to court-martial the soldiers shows how seriously the force takes allegations of prisoner assault.”

The announcement came as the military prepared to release results of an investigation into television footage purportedly showing a group of U.S. soldiers burning the bodies of two slain Taliban rebels in October.

Cremation is banned in Islam, and the burning of bodies was condemned by President Hamid Karzai. The government ordered an inquiry and called for the perpetrators to be severely punished if found guilty.