Three U.S. soldiers have been charged over the deaths of three Iraqi prisoners held in custody north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Monday in a statement.

The soldiers, from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Airborne Division, face charges including "murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat, and obstructing justice", said the statement.

They, a non-commissioned officer and two soldiers, are deemed responsible for the deaths of three male detainees during an operation near Thar Thar Canal in southern Salahuddin province on May 9.

The soldiers are currently in pre-trial confinement awaiting a hearing to determine if sufficient evidence exists for the case to be referred to court-martial, the statement said.

The U.S. military said last week that it had opened a criminal investigation into the suspicious deaths of three men in military custody in Iraq.

Meanwhile, some U.S. soldiers have been implicated in other cases of alleged abuses and indiscriminate killings in Iraq, such as the Haditha incident in which dozens of civilians were killed.

Source: Xinhua