The US military said it was investigating a new allegation of prisoner abuse, the third to be examined in Afghanistan following revelations of detainee abuse in Iraq. US military spokesman Major Jon Siepmann said investigators were being called in to probe the claim, which follows earlier allegations of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan. "This week the coalition reviewed a new allegation of detainee abuse occurring within its area of responsibility," he said. "The Naval Criminal Investigation Service is looking into the allegation." Two prior claims of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan emerged following global outcry over the treatment of detainees in Iraq. The Afghanistan allegations are believed to include assault, poor living conditions and sleep deprivation. Siepmann said he was unable to comment on where or when the latest abuse supposedly took place or any other details regarding the allegation. "Right now it's just an allegation, we don't know that anything in particular occurred," he said. "We cannot release any of the details of the investigation itself." Siepmann said the Naval Criminal Investigation Service usually looked into cases involving "naval and marine corps issues". "They were the appropriate entity to conduct the investigation," he said. A review into US prisons here is due to be made public within days. The US military is also investigating the deaths of five Afghans, three of which occurred while the deceased was in US custody. Two of these deaths, which occurred in December 2002, were the result of "blunt-force injuries". **PHOTO CAPTION*** A US officer standing guard by an Afghan prisoner. (AFP)