2 GIs in Afghanistan Charged With Assault

Two U.S. soldiers have been charged with assault for allegedly punching two detainees at a military base in Afghanistan, the military said Sunday.

The announcement came just 10 days after the military launched an investigation into television footage showing a group of U.S. soldiers apparently burning the bodies of two dead Taliban rebels.

The charges against the two soldiers include conspiracy to maltreat, assault and dereliction of duty. If substantiated, the allegations could lead to disciplinary action, the military said in a statement. Neither detainee required medical attention, it added.

The military did not say when the soldiers had been charged.

Military spokesman Army Lt. Col. Jerry O’Hara said the two soldiers were still in Afghanistan “performing their primary duties, but they have nothing to do with detained individuals.”

The alleged assault occurred at a base in southern Oruzgan province in July, O’Hara said. The soldiers are accused of punching the detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach.

One of the two detainees has since been released, while the other is being held at Bagram, about 20 miles north of the capital, Kabul, he said.

O’Hara said military regulations prevented him from identifying the two detainees or elaborating on why they had been detained. Attempts to reach Afghan government officials Sunday for comment were not successful.