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Central Command Report, October 31: Afghanistan, Iraq Update

31 October 2005

Charges filed against U.S. soldiers for treatment of Afghan detainees

MILITARY TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE ANY WHO MISTREATED DETAINEES

Two American soldiers have been charged under U.S. military law for allegedly assaulting two detainees in their custody in Afghanistan.

The unidentified soldiers are accused of abusing two individuals who were being detained at a forward operating base in the Oruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan.  The detainees, who allegedly had been punched in the chest and stomach, did not require medical aid.

The soldiers could face disciplinary action if they are found guilty of the charges, including conspiracy to maltreat, assault and dereliction of duty.

Army Brigadier General Jack Sterling, deputy commanding general for the Combined Joint Task Force-76, says allegations of misconduct will be investigated and those charged will be held “responsible for their actions consistent with U.S. military law.”

For more information on U.S. policy see Detainee Issues.

OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP TAKES SUSPECTS, WEAPONS OFF IRAQI STREETS

U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces wrapped up “Operation Clean Sweep” in southern Baghdad October 29, taking nearly 50 suspected terrorists off the streets and confiscating large numbers of weapons.

The U.S. Central Command reported October 31 that 350 houses were searched as part of the operation.  Some of the searches turned up bomb-making equipment.

An earlier sweep netted more than a dozen hidden AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns and American money.

Air Force F-15E aircraft and Army AH-64 Apache helicopters also have been used in recent days against suspected terrorists in the northwestern section of the Iraqi capital.  An F-15 dropped a 500-pound precision-guided bomb on one of the targets.

Precision-guided air strikes have also been launched outside the city in the town of Husaybah where two safe houses, which allegedly were shielding foreign fighters, were destroyed.  On October 29, CENTCOM reported killing 10 suspected terrorists.

Meanwhile, October 31 news reports quote U.S. officials as saying a Saudi-born al-Qaida operative was killed in a military air operation near Obeidi, Iraq.

For more information see Iraq Update.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)