Eight US troops were charged on Wednesday in connection with the death of a fellow soldier allegedly abused in southern Afghanistan, the military said. The soldiers face a raft of charges over the death of 19-year-old Private Danny Chen on October 3 in Kandahar, a Taliban flashpoint. Five of the eight have been charged with negligent homicide, when death results from an act or failure to act of the accused. Other charges include involuntary manslaughter, assault, maltreatment, reckless endangerment and dereliction of duty.
“Eight US soldiers deployed to southern Afghanistan were charged in connection with the death of a fellow soldier that occurred in October,” said the US-led International Security Assistance Forces Regional Command South. “The soldier was found in a guard tower with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Those charged include a First Lieutenant, who faces eight counts of dereliction of duty, two Staff Sergeants, three Sergeants and two Specialists. They hail from C Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
