President Bush has denounced the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers, saying
he is disgusted by the way they were treated.
During a joint appearance at the White House with Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin, President Bush used strong words to condemn the alleged mistreatment
of Iraqi prisoners by American troops.
"I share 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 is not the way we do things in America and so I didn't like it one bit," Mr.
Bush said.
President Bush said any U.S. soldiers involved do not reflect the character
of the men and women sent to Iraq.
"That is not the way the people are. It is not their character that are serving
our nation and the cause of freedom. There will be an investigation and it
will be taken care of."
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Photographs depicting the abuse are being published and shown around the world
on television.
The pictures apparently show U.S. soldiers laughing and giving the thumbs-up
sign while naked, male Iraqi prisoners are stacked in a pyramid or positioned
to perform sex acts.
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Another Iraqi prisoner is shown standing on a box, his head covered, with wires
attached to his hands. The prisoner was allegedly told he would be electrocuted
if he fell off the box.
The abuse took place at a Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, which was a
notorious penitentiary during the rule of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
The military has filed criminal charges against six U.S. soldiers allegedly
involved in the abuse, and the Army says more soldiers are expected to be charged
in the future.
The Pentagon has also suspended a senior U.S. military officer in charge
of the prison.