The US military has charged six of its soldiers with offences including cruelty, mistreatment and assault following an investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse at a jail in Iraq.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director of operations said the soldiers from a military police battalion had been suspended from duty pending further investigation.
Brig Kimmitt did not disclose the soldiers' names or ranks.
"The coalition takes all reports of detainee abuse seriously and all allegations of mistreatment are investigated. We are committed to treating all persons under coalition control with dignity, respect and humanity."
The charges relate to accusations of abuses carried out in November and December last year on around 20 detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad.
Several thousand prisoners are held Abu Ghraib - a notorious prison under Saddam Hussein.
Brig Kimmitt said a total of 17 military personnel had been suspended from duty or reassigned while the investigation was conducted.