A US soldier who blew the whistle on his comrades over possible drug use and the deaths of three civilians in southern Afghanistan suffered a severe beating in retaliation, officials said on Tuesday.
The soldier was beaten after telling authorities about illicit drugs and then, while recovering in hospital, recounted his comrades’ alleged role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier was “beaten within an inch of his life,” one of the officials said.
US Army authorities last week said they were investigating the “unlawful” deaths of three Afghans as well as allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
Department of Defense officials said the investigation focuses on at least 10 members of the 2nd Infantry Division’s Fifth Stryker Brigade, which deployed to Kandahar Province last summer and initially suffered heavy casualties, officials said.
One soldier has been placed in detention in relation to the case and authorities said last week a further probe was launched after receiving “credible information” from the soldiers’ unit earlier this month.
The Afghan civilians were found dead between January and March, officials said.
The US Army Criminal Investigation Command declined to comment on the details of the case.
Civilian casualties in the nearly nine-year conflict in Afghanistan are deeply controversial and a source of tension between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the US-led foreign military.
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