US soldiers charged over Afghanistan deaths

Big News Network.com

Five soldiers in the US military have been charged over civilian deaths in Afghanistan.

The soldiers, five men, have been charged with premeditated murder after an incident in Kandahar earlier this year.

The US military has charged that three of the soldiers, from the army's Stryker Brigade, were involved in premeditated murder.

The two others were charged earlier this month on three counts of premeditated murder and one count of assault.

The men face a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

The incidents allegedly happened near a military base in Kandahar, when three civilians were either shot or struck by grenade shrapnel.

No other details have been given, including the names of the soldiers, who will now be put before the military equivalent of a grand jury.