Pentagon To Probe Beating Allegations

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Monday called for an investigation into allegations that U.S. soldiers mistreated Afghan captives who were taken by mistake.

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Rumsfeld asked for a probe into allegations from some Afghans who were taken captive by U.S. forces in a raid last month -- a raid that U.S. commanders acknowledged was a mistake.

Some of the 27 detainees captured in the raid, who were eventually released last week after they were determined not to be Taliban or al-Qaida fighters, told the Washington Post and the New York Times that they were beaten and held in a cage during their detention at the U.S. base in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said Monday that there is no indication the beatings took place but the investigation would go forward.

Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, a Pentagon spokesman, said during such military operations, the first priority is securing the area, not the treatment of those captured. Stufflebeem said the initial moments of captivity are times of chaos and confusion.

"Until identities are established, treatment can be harsh," Stufflebeem said. "But everyone is treated the same."