The Pentagon released a list of the death cases investigated in Afghanistan after Human Rights Watch sent a letter to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld demanding that the United States "get serious about prosecuting people implicated in prisoner deaths and mistreatment".
Investigations in at least three of the deaths are still ongoing, according to the list drawn up by Chris Grey, spokesman for the US Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Previously unreported cases included the death in November 2003 of an individual identified as "A. Wahid".
"CID investigation closed and completed report forward to command," the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) statement said. "Case involved other than US personnel, and Afghan law enforcement officials have been notified."
A senior army official said the case involved a prisoner who was already seriously injured when he was left at the gate of a US base by members an Afghan militia. The prisoner later died in US custody.
A second previously unreported case dates from January, 2003, according to the CID tally.
"Death investigation of person detained by US soldiers in Wazi Village in January 03," it said. "Case remains ongoing."
Because the case is still under investigation, defense officials would provide no additional information.
The CID list shows that yet another prisoner, identified as "M. Sayari", died in military custody on August 28, 2002. It would be the earliest known death of a prisoner in US military custody. The CID said the case was adjudicated by the army but offered no other information.
Human Rights Watch noted that a recently released internal Defense Department document states that an investigation was opened on September 26, 2002, into an alleged murder of an Afghan detainee by four soldiers in or before September 2002.
The document indicated that the case was closed and a commander's report of disciplinary or administrative action was issued, Human Rights Watch said. "Yet we know of no courts martial which have taken place with respect to this 'murder'," it said.
Other cases listed by the CID included the death of Sher Mohammed Khan, who was arrested on September 24 during a raid on his family's home near Khost. Khan died the next day at Salerno Fire Base of a heart attack, military officials said.
The CID said that the case was initiated on September 26, 2004. "To date no signs of abuse or trauma and awaiting final autopsy," it said in its statement.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division is also probing the death of a prisoner at the Gardez detention facility in March, 2003, according to the CID list.
Officials said the prisoner was Jamal Naseer, an 18-year-old Afghan army recruit who died in US military custody after allegedly being beaten and tortured by his US captors.
The army's Criminal Investigation Command reopened its investigation of the case in September after an investigation by a US-based human rights group "Crimes of War Project".
The human rights group produced a report by the Afghan armed forces attorney general who found there was "a strong possibility" that Naseer was murdered as a result of torture by allied forces during interrogation.
Other cases listed by the CID are better known.
They include two prisoners - identified as Habibullah and Diliwar - who died in US military custody at Bagram air base in December 2002. The army said that at least 28 soldiers face possible charges in the case, although so far only one sergeant has had charges placed against him.
The eighth case involved the death of Abdel Wahli at Asadabad air base in June 2003. The army turned it over to the Justice Department. A CIA contractor, David Passaro, was indicted in a North Carolina court in June.
In its letter to Rumsfeld, Human Rights Watch charged that in most cases the Defense Department has launched criminal investigations only after particular abuses received media attention.
"These investigations have proceeded extremely slowly and in excessive secrecy," it said. "An internal Pentagon investigation of detention operations in Afghanistan, conducted by Brig. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, has been completed, but remains classified, unlike similar reports on abuses in Iraq."
© 2004 Agence France-Presse