U.S. probes new Afghan abuse claim
(CNN) -- The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan is reviewing a new allegation of detainee abuse, a military spokesman said.
The announcement comes two weeks after an independent contractor working for the CIA at a facility holding prisoners in Afghanistan was indicted on assault charges in the death of a prisoner there.
It was the first indictment brought against a civilian since the reports of alleged prison abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan surfaced in recent months.
Speaking in Kabul, Maj. Jon Siepmann said the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) is investigating the latest allegation and because of the investigation, he could not release any details.
It is the third investigation into detainee abuse in Afghanistan at the hands of U.S. jailers.
In May Lt. Gen. David Barno, the top commander in Afghanistan, initiated a top-to-bottom review of how prisoners have been treated in the country's 20 detention facilities after photographs of abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison captured international media attention.
An Army report, authored by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, initially looked into abuse allegations in Afghanistan, as well as Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
After the Abu Ghraib photos surfaced, an Afghan police colonel told a newspaper he was abused in August 2003 while in coalition custody in Gardez and Bagram.
Coalition leaders were notified of the colonel's allegations on May 12 after the newspaper's report and immediately launched an investigation, U.S. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Tucker Mansager said.
