Bush, Blair vow to act on abuse of Iraqis as fury runs in Arab world

By: Mohamed Ali

WASHINGTON: The US and its staunch ally Britain condemned the abuse of Iraqi detainees at the hands of American forces vowing to punish those responsible, as the Arab world reacted angrily to photographs of mistreatment from inside an Iraqi prison.

President Bush said on Friday he was deeply disgusted by the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops and vowed that those responsible would be “taken care of” after photographs depicting the acts were published and broadcast around the world.

Bush said: “Their treatment does not reflect the nature of the American people. That's not the way we do things in America. I didn't like it one bit.”

He was asked about photos showing Iraqi prisoners naked except for hoods covering their heads, stacked in a human pyramid, one with a slur written in English on his skin. That and other scenes of humiliation have led to criminal charges against six American soldiers.

Arab television stations and satellite news channels led their newscasts Friday with photographs of US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners saying they showed the 'inhuman' conduct and 'savagery' of the abusers. One main channel called the pictures evidence of the “immoral practices” of American forces.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair denounced the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Gharib prison outside Baghdad but stressed it did not reflect the conduct of the vast majority of coalition troops, while the Arab League in Cairo called on the US-led coalition in Iraq to punish those responsible for what it called “savage acts.”

The White House said the United States “will not tolerate” such behavior. “We cannot tolerate it,” spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Friday. “The military is taking strong action against the individuals responsible for these despicable acts.”

A senior US military officer said the general in charge of the US-run prison system in Iraq has been suspended and is under investigation over the alleged abuse.

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