Two more charged with Afghan prisoner abuse

Two more US soldiers have been charged after an Afghanistan prisoner abuse investigation centred on two detainees who died in custody, the Army announced in Fort Bliss, Texas.

Sergeant Alan Driver and Spc Nathan Adam Jones, both reservists with the Cincinnati-based 377th Military Police Company, were the latest to be named in an investigation which has seen 14 soldiers charged with misconduct.

Driver faces charges of assault and maltreatment. Jones is accused of assault, maltreatment and making a false official statement.

Two Afghan detainees died after being taken into US custody in December 2002. Both were being held in a detention centre at Bagram Airfield.

A detainee known as Habibullah was the first prisoner to be found dead in his cell, just days after he was detained. A second man, known as Dilawar, arrived at Bagram the day after Habibullah died. Dilawar died about a week later.

Trial dates for Driver and Jones have not been set.

An Army officer and two of his soldiers from the same Cincinnati-based reserve unit were also charged last week. They are also awaiting hearing dates.

One solider has already been convicted, four have pleaded guilty and two have been acquitted of charges stemming from the investigation. Another has announced his intention to plead guilty.