KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. soldiers have been charged with assault for allegedly punching two detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach at a military base in Afghanistan, the military said today.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the military launched an investigation into television footage purportedly showing a group of U.S. soldiers burning the bodies of two dead Taliban rebels.

The alleged assault on detainees occurred at a base in southern Uruzgan province in early July, U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts said.

The charges include conspiracy to maltreat, assault and dereliction of duty. The allegations, if substantiated, could lead to disciplinary action, the statement said, adding that neither detainee required medical attention.

"The command remains committed to investigate all allegations of misconduct and will hold individuals responsible for their actions consistent with U.S. military law," Brig. Gen. Jack Sterling, a deputy coalition commander, was quoted as saying.

The military opened an investigation into the alleged abuse after a U.S. soldier learned about it and notified his commanders, Yonts told reporters.

One of the two detainees has since been released, while the other is being held at Bagram, the U.S. military's headquarters in Afghanistan, about 20 miles north of the capital, Kabul, said another military spokesman, Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara.

He said the two soldiers were still in Afghanistan "performing their primary duties, but they have nothing to do with detained individuals."

O'Hara said military regulations prevented him from identifying the two detainees or elaborating on why they were detained.

It was not clear if the latest abuse allegation would cause an outcry here. Mistreatment of detainees by Afghan police and Afghan prison guards is not unusual, according to human rights advocates.