U.S. investigating Afghan detainee deaths
Conditions, treatment to come under scrutiny
From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Army criminal investigators are looking into the recent deaths of two detainees in U.S. custody at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, a military spokesman said.
A U.S. Central Command spokesman said the investigation will look at all possibilities, including possible mistreatment by U.S. military guards and the conditions in which the men were held.
On December 3, the first detainee died of a blood clot in the lung. The second died on December 10 of a heart attack.
Both men were described as being under 40 years old. No information was available on their previous physical conditions.
The spokesman emphasized that, at this point, "There is no red flag" indicating a specific problem. But he described the deaths as "too coincidental" and said "We thought it was safer to make sure" that no event at Bagram contributed to the deaths.
