U.S. soldiers face probe into Afghan civilian deaths

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Source: McClatchy Newspapers

U.S. soldiers face probe into Afghan civilian deaths
By Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy Newspapers 2 hrs 50 mins ago

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. military is investigating allegations that a small group of American soldiers deliberately killed three Afghan civilians in a series of shootings earlier this year, Western officials familiar with the case said Friday.

Military officials have detained one soldier with the Army's 5th Stryker Brigade based in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, said the officials, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case.

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The allegations center on as many as nine soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade , 2nd Battalion , at Forward Operating Base Ramrod , a remote outpost west of Kandahar city. The brigade is part of the 2nd Infantry Division , based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

The soldiers initially were under investigation for drug charges, officials said, but that led to allegations that the unit had taken part in killing three Afghan civilians in a series of confrontations over several months, according to two officials familiar with the details.

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