UK press: Pics are fake

2004-05-03 21:42

London - The British press was sceptical on Monday about shocking pictures apparantly showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by British troops, as the two soldiers who released the photos categorically denied they were fakes.

"We told the truth. We stand by every single word of our story," said the two soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire regiment in the Daily Mirror's front-page story.

"Those pictures are true," he added, referring to the black-and-white photographs which appeared to show troops beating and urinating on a hooded Iraqi prisoner in a camp near Basra in British-controlled southern Iraq.

The British military has launched an investigation into the photographs first published on Saturday in Britain's mass-circulation Daily Mirror, hot on the heels of images broadcast by the US channel, CBS, showing US troops also allegedly abusing prisoners in the notorious Abu Gharib jail in Baghdad.

Highest letter of reprimand

"Maybe the officers don't know what is going on, but everybody else does. I've seen hundred of pictures," insisted the other.

The two sets of images have unleashed outrage around the world, but particularly in Arab countries.

An official with the US-led coalition in Iraq said on Monday that six US army officers had received the highest letter of reprimand about the prison scandal, clearing the way for proceedings to throw them out of the military.

A seventh individual has been handed a "letter of admonishment," a punishment one grade below a full reprimand. All seven are now appealing against the rulings.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has condemned the pictures as appalling - if they are genuine - as the majority of the British press voiced doubts that they were authentic.

Simon Treselyan, a trainer for 19 years with Britain's elite army commando unit the SAS, said there were several clues showing the pictures had clearly been rigged.

He told the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian that neither the weapon used by the supposed torturers, nor the truck shown in the pictures, said to be a Bedford, had been used in Iraq.

Former military intelligence services member Terry Foley told The Sun that British troops now used a more-modern arm, the SA80 MK-2.

Lack of injuries on the supposed victim

Other experts highlighted inconsistencies which suggested the pictures had been faked, such as squeaky-clean uniforms, boots cross-laced instead of straight-laced as is the custom and different cartridge belts from the army's standard issue.

Sources close to the Queen's Lancashire regiment also highlighted the lack of injuries on the supposed victim and the fact that his T-shirt looked remarkably clean for someone who had undergone an eight-hour beating.

Richard Mills, a photographer for three years with the Royal Air Force before joining The Times daily, said the truck was too clean and would have been full of sand and dirt in southern Iraq.

- AFP