US and Britain condemn abuse of Iraqi prisoners
President George W Bush said he was disgusted by the images. "I shared a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they were treated. Their treatment does not reflect the nature of the American people. That's not the way we do things in America."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair also condemned the abuse, which took place at Abu Gharib prison outside Baghdad, while the Arab League in Cairo called on the US-led coalition in Iraq to punish those responsible for what it called "savage acts".
US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad, said that "the coalition takes all reports of detainee abuse seriously and all allegations are investigated".
"We are committed to treating all persons under coalition custody with dignity, respect and humanity," he said. "Coalition personnel are expected to act appropriately, humanely and in a manner consistent with Geneva Conventions."
A spokesman for Mr Blair also confirmed eight cases of alleged mistreatment of Iraqis by British personnel were being investigated.
In Cairo, Hossam Zaki, spokesman for Arab League chief Amr Mussa, said: "We roundly denounce this mistreatment and humiliation" of Iraqi prisoners and called on the coalition to "punish everyone who has been involved in these savage acts".
London-based human rights group Amnesty International said it was shocked at the pictures "but, sadly, not surprised".
"Amnesty International has taken numerous testimonies from Iraqis who allege torture at Abu Gharib and other prisons, where they are held incommunicado and without charge," said Kate Allen, British director for Amnesty.
Meanwhile, the commander of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay has been sent to Iraq to oversee the treatment of 8,000 detainees as part of an investigation into torture.
Six US military police men and women have been charged following the discovery of prisoner abuse. But their families claimed yesterday they were ill- trained and are being made scapegoats
The charges included conspiracy, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another, the military's term for sexual abuse.
According to the charges:
Soldiers forced prisoners to lie in "a pyramid of naked detainees" and jumped on them.
Detainees were ordered to strip and perform or simulate sex acts.
A hooded man was made to stand on a box, and told that he would be electrocuted if he fell off.
A soldier unzipped a body bag and took snapshots of a detainee's corpse.
Soldiers were photographed and videotaped posing in front of humiliated inmates.
The documents add to growing accusations of improper prisoner treatment at Abu Gharib, which was Iraq's largest and most notorious prison during Saddam Hussein's rule.
US officials confirmed the TV images were authentic and said they had taken several steps to stop the mistreatment of prisoners.
Major General Geoffrey Miller has been appointed head detention facilities in Iraq. He had previously overseen the detention facility at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which holds hundreds of detainees from about 40 countries, many of them from the 2001 war in Afghanistan.
The top US commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, has ordered administrative penalties against seven officers who supervised the reserve military police unit that was responsible for Abu Gharib.
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