Både amerikanske og britiske myndigheter etterforsker mulige overgrep og tortur mot fanger i Irak etter publiseringen av flere fotografier som skal være tatt av irakiske fanger som underkastes brutalitet og ydmykelser av amerikanske og britiske soldater. Samtidig stilles det spørsmål om bildene av britiske soldater i overgrepssituasjoner er ekte, og om de er fra Irak, skriver BBC korrespondent Paul Adams.

Tony Blair says that if the photos are authentic this is «completely and totally unacceptable».
However the BBC’s defence correspondent Paul Adams says sources close to The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment believe many aspects of the photographs are suspicious.
He says they believe the pictures may not have even been taken in Iraq.
They believe the rifle is an SA80 mk 1 – which was not issued to troops in Iraq.
They say soldiers in Iraq wore berets or hard hats – and not floppy hats as in the photos.
They also believe the wrong type of Bedford truck is shown in the background – a type never deployed in Iraq.

Statsminister Blair og ministeren med ansvar for de væpnede styrkene, Adam Ingram, lar det ikke være tvil om at dersom bildene er ekte, skal det fram i lyset og stanses.

Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said there was no «culture of abuse» in the British Army despite the fact five separate inquiries into maltreatment are under way.
«If these allegations are true, they are appalling, they are despicable and there can be no justification for them at all,» he said.
The inquiry by the Royal Military Police’s Special Investigations Branch would «not leave any stone unturned», he added.

Etterforskningen vil antagelig bekrefte om bildene er ekte eller har en annen opprinnelse. Fotografiene ble utlevert til Daily Mirror av to anonyme soldater i Lancashire-regimentet som ønsket å avsløre brutale elementer i regimentet.

The soldiers allege the unnamed captive was threatened with execution and had his jaw broken during his eight-hour ordeal.
The reason for making the photos public was, the soldiers said, to show why the US-UK coalition was encountering such resistance in Iraq

Army spokesman Roger Goodwin, on behalf of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, said there was «clearly some form of link to the regiment».
«But the precise form of that link, including whether the soldiers involved in the alleged atrocities were members of the QLR, needs to be established.
He added: «There is no place in our regiment for individuals capable of such appalling and sickening behaviour.
«The sooner they are exposed and ejected from the regiment, the better.»
Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of General Staff, said: «If proven, the perpetrators are not fit to wear the Queen’s uniform and they have besmirched the Army’s good name and conduct.»