Photos of abuse in Iraq shock British

LONDON -- Graphic photographs of British soldiers allegedly abusing Iraqi prisoners were splashed across Britain's newspapers yesterday, stunning the nation and drawing comparisons to last year's Abu Ghraib scandal involving US troops.

The 22 photographs, released Tuesday by prosecutors during the trial of three British solders at an army base in Germany, include images that show naked Iraqis simulating sexual acts. One photograph published yesterday shows a British soldier taking aim with his foot at a prisoner bound in netting. In another, an Iraqi appears tied to a forklift and suspended in the air.

Their publication follows close on the heels of the trial of US Army Reserve Specialist Charles A. Graner Jr., who was sentenced Saturday to 10 years imprisonment for abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison outside of Baghdad.

''The photographs . . . make a mockery of the moral case for a war supposedly fought in the cause of democracy, freedom, and human rights," The Daily Mail newspaper wrote.

Arab newspapers also featured the pictures prominently. ''A new torture scandal [with] British heroes," read a headline in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

British political and military leaders condemned all acts of abuse and insisted it was not representative of the British military.

''Everyone finds these photographs shocking and appalling, and there are simply no other words to describe them," Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons. ''Whilst we express in a unified way, I know, our disgust at those pictures, I hope we do not allow that to tarnish the good name, fully deserved, of the British armed forces."

General Sir Mike Jackson, Britain's top army officer, said that ''some 65,000 servicemen and women have served in Iraq since the beginning of military operations. Only a very small number are alleged to be involved in incidents of this type."

Despite such statements, other politicians voiced concern that the pictures would severely damage the international reputation of the British military and compromise the safety of the estimated British 9,000 soldiers who remain in Iraq.

''The task of British forces in the difficult and sensitive run-up to the election on 30 January will be made more difficult by publication of these photographs," Sir Menzies Campbell, spokesman for the Liberal Democratic Party, told Channel Four television. ''These pictures will inevitably open all wounds and be part of drawing parallels with Abu Ghraib."

Tam Dalyell, a Labor politician, told Sky television that ''there will be such anger against the coalition, and against Britain in particular, that there is no way cooperation and goodwill can prevail."

Peter Caddick-Adams, a military historian at Britain's Cranfield University, said that ''in the Muslim world there will be no surprise that these photos exist. They will reaffirm their expectation of the way this war was fought."

The three British soldiers, members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, face a total of nine counts of abuse. Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, has pleaded guilty to one charge of assault. Corporal Daniel Kenyon, 33, and Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The photographs were discovered after a soldier took the film to get developed and an employee alerted police. They allegedly chronicle the abuse of Iraqis who were looting a British aid camp in southern Iraq in May 2003, shortly after the US-led invasion.

Yesterday, Kenyon's lawyer, Joseph Giret, told the military court that the camp commander, Major Dan Taylor, had ordered his soldiers to catch looters stealing food and make them ''work hard."

The photographs echo the publication of pictures published last May allegedly showing British soldiers torturing Iraqi detainees. The images, which were later discredited as fakes, shocked Britain, where public support for the war in Iraq is low. The latest photographs appear to be authentic, authorities say.

According to Caddick-Adams, a rapid, thorough British response to new allegations may help ease the damage the photographs will cause the reputation of the British military. ''The British government and military have been absolutely ruthless in their pursuit of transparent justice, for the very important purpose of setting an example for the whole Middle East region," he said.

Material from wire services was included in this report.