Five U.S. Soldiers Sentenced in Abuse Cases

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Five soldiers from an elite U.S. Army unit have been sentenced to up to six months confinement in cases concerning the abuse of detainees in Iraq, the U.S. military said Monday.

The five, all from the 75th Ranger Regiment, pleaded guilty during courts martial this month and received sentences ranging from 30-day to six-month confinements and reduction in rank, the U.S. military said in a statement. Two of them will also be dishonorably discharged from the army after serving their time.

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All five pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, while four pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery and two pleaded guilty to maltreatment, the military said.

In November, the U.S. military announced that five soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment had been charged in connection with a Sept. 7 incident "in which three detainees were allegedly punched and kicked while awaiting movement to a detention facility."