LAST UPDATE: 5/2/2004 9:10:00 AM
LONDON (AP) - Amnesty International said it has uncovered a "pattern of torture" of Iraqi prisoners by coalition troops, and called for an independent investigation into the claims of abuse.

The London-based human rights group said it had received "scores" of reports of ill treatment of detainees by British and American troops.

British military police are investigating allegations of abuse by U.K. soldiers after the Daily Mirror newspaper published photos allegedly showing a hooded Iraqi prisoner who reportedly was beaten by British troops.

Amnesty's Middle East spokeswoman, Nicole Choueiry, said she was not surprised by the pictures.

"We've been documenting allegations of torture for a year now," she said. "We have said there are patterns of torture."

Choueiry said the British government should call an independent investigation into the abuse claims.

The British allegations surfaced after the American network CBS broadcast images allegedly showing Iraqis stripped naked, hooded and being tormented by their U.S. captors.

Six U.S. soldiers face courts-martial in connection with allegations of mistreatment of detainees at an Iraqi prison.

President Bush expressed "deep disgust" at the photos, and Prime Minister Tony Blair said any abuse of Iraqi prisoners by coalition troops would be "completely unacceptable."

On Friday, Amnesty said it had received "frequent reports of torture of other ill-treatment" of detainees by coalition forces.

"Methods reported include prolonged sleep deprivation, beatings, prolonged restraint in painful positions, sometimes combined with exposure to loud music, prolonged hooding, and exposure to bright lights," the group said in a written statement.

The Daily Mirror 's front-page picture showed a soldier apparently urinating on a hooded prisoner. The newspaper said it had been given the pictures by serving soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

It quoted unidentified soldiers as saying the unarmed captive in its pictures had been threatened with execution during eight hours of abuse, and was left bleeding and vomiting. They said the captive was then driven away and dumped from the back of a moving vehicle, and it was not known whether he survived.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Sunday that "a very high-level investigation" was underway into the claims.

"These allegations are taken extremely seriously, and they will be investigated very thoroughly," he told the British Broadcasting Corp.'s "Breakfast with Frost" program.

The BBC cited unnamed sources as expressing doubts about the authenticity of the photos. It quoted sources close to the regiment as saying the gun and hat of the soldier in the pictures appeared to be the wrong type, a truck was also a model not used in Iraq, and the photos looked tidy and staged.

The Daily Mirror stood by the photos, saying it had carried out "extensive checks" to establish their authenticity.


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