Afghan prisoners 'assaulted'

2005-10-30 20:39

Kabul - The US-led coalition says two US soldiers have been charged with allegedly assaulting detainees in Afghanistan.

The statement came a week after American troops were accused of burning the bodies of Taliban suspects.

The soldiers were charged under military law with alleged assault of two detainees in their custody in southern Uruzgan province.

"The soldiers allegedly punched the detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach.

"The nature of the assault did not require medical attention for either of the detainees," a statement said.

The US-led coalition of about 20 000 troops, the bulk of them American, has been in Afghanistan since 2001 to hunt down insurgents from the fundamentalist Taliban government ousted the same year.

Deeply devout Afghanistan was shocked recently when an Australian television channel broadcast footage of US soldiers allegedly burning the bodies of suspected Taliban fighters in contravention of international law and Islam, which says bodies of Muslims must be buried.

The report said the soldiers had burnt the bodies because they had been left in the open for more than 24 hours.

However, they used the incident to taunt other Taliban fighters in an attempt to goad them into battle, it said

Coalition soldiers have also been accused of abusing Afghan detainees, at least eight of whom have died in US custody since 2001.

Two US soldiers were this year sentenced to up to three months in jail for the abuse, terms Afghan government officials condemned as "unexpectedly lenient."

- AFP