US soldiers charged with killing Afghans

Five US soldiers in Afghanistan's Kandahar province have been charged with murdering three Afghan civilians, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

In its early edition, the Post cited army documents as saying infantry personnel, including one staff sergeant, murdered the civilians between January and May of this year.

The Post cited military court documents and interviews with people familiar with the case, alleging that the killings "were committed essentially for sport by soldiers who had a fondness for hashish and alcohol."

The accused, including seven additional members of the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade who are charged with lesser offenses, denied wrongdoing through lawyers and family members, the newspaper reported.

The five accused of murder began talking about creating a "kill team" in December 2009 and murdered their first victim on January 25, 2010, in the village of La Mohammed Kalay in Kandahar, according to the accusations.

Reuters