Two US soldiers charged with premeditated murder

Two US soldiers have been charged with the premeditated murder of three Iraqis, the US military announced Saturday. The charges stem from three separate incidents between April and June 2007 in the vicinity of Iskandariyah, 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Baghdad, the military said in a statement. An investigation was launched after fellow soldiers reported the alleged crimes to military authorities, it said. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501 Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.