WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The two US soldiers arrested by Colombian authorities for suspected arms smuggling were released to US custody Thursday morning, the Pentagon said.

    The two soldiers, who were detained by Colombian authorities on Tuesday, were released to US custody at the American embassy in Bogota, Lieutenant General James T. Conway, director of operations at the Joint Staff, told a Pentagon news briefing.

    "The US embassy is now working to determine the facts surrounding the matter," he said.

    Colombian police said Wednesday the two were found to have about 32,000 rounds of ammunition with them at an apartment complex, in the town of Carmen de Apicala, near Bogota, and authorities suspected that they might have planned to sell the ammunition to outlawed right-wing paramilitary groups in the country, according to news reports from Bogota, the capital of Colombia.

    The two soldiers would be flown to the United States in the next few days, a US embassy official was quoted as saying.

    In late March, five US Army soldiers were arrested for suspected involvement in using military planes to smuggle drugs from Colombia into the United States. Enditem