US: Hundreds of photographs of abuse of prisoners in Iraq that senators said were far worse than what had already been published were put on classified display by the Pentagon on Capitol Hill yesterday.
"They were appalling, they go beyond what has been seen," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said as he emerged from the secure room on Capitol Hill where the pictures and several video stills were displayed under guard for three hours.
"The whole thing is disgusting and it's hard to believe that this actually is taking place in a military facility," Senator Dianne Feinstein said.
"I expected that these pictures would be very hard on the stomach lining and it was significantly worse than anything that I had anticipated," said Senator Ron Wyden, adding, "Take the worst case and multiply it several times over."
Several senators said that photographs of sexual intercourse were among the images, as well as pictures of Iraqi women commanded to expose their breasts.
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell said, "There were several pictures of Iraqi women who were disrobed or putting their shirts up" and several pictures with dogs about to attack terrorised Iraqis.
The Pentagon later took back the pictures and the White House made clear it did not want them published so as not to prejudice courts martial or put Americans' life in danger in Iraq.
The US army guard who was seen in a published photograph grinning and pointing to naked Iraqi prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghrail prison yesterday said she was acting on orders.
Speaking out for the first time, Private Lynndie England (21) told a TV station in Denver, Colorado, that "persons in my chain of command" gave her specific instructions on how to pose for the photos.
Regarding the picture in which she holds a leash attached to the neck of a naked Iraqi man lying on his side, she said, "I was instructed by persons in higher rank to 'stand there, hold this leash and look at the camera'." She said they took the picture for PsyOps (psychological operations) and she thought it was "kind of weird".
However, her superiors praised the photos and told them, "Hey, you're doing great, keep it up." Private England's lawyer, Mr Giorgio Ra'Shadd, said, "The spooks took over the jail," and his client was the scapegoat for intelligence agents.
The female reservist is one of seven guards at Aby Ghrail facing court martial for abuse.
Army specialist Jeremy Sivits will appear at a court martial in Baghdad next week. Two more reservists, Sgt Javal Davis and Staff Sgt Ivan "Chip" Frederick will also be court-martialed, US officials said in Baghdad yesterday, though no date was given. The two are alleged to have forced naked prisoners into a pile, which Sgt Frederick then photographed.
In a further escalation of the prison scandal, CBS planned last night to show an American soldier's video diary in which she says, "We actually shot two prisoners today. One got shot in the chest for swinging a pole against our people on the feed team. One got shot in the arm."
CBS also claims that the families of two soldiers discharged last year for abusing prisoners at another prison, Camp Bucca, called Mr Rumsfeld's office repeatedly about conditions at the prisons but got no response.
Meanwhile, the US military has opened an investigation into alleged abuse of a former Afghan police colonel in Afghanistan, said by the New York Times yesterday to have been subjected to beating, kicking, sleep deprivation and sexual abuse during 40 days' interrogation by US forces.
On Capitol Hill yesterday US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay involving sensory deprivation such as loss of sleep, change of diet and stress.
Mr Rumsfeld went to Capitol Hill to argue for a further $25 billion in military costs but found himself being grilled by senators about the prison abuse.
On Tuesday Major Gen Antonio Taguba testified that there was a failure of leadership at the prison but that on the evidence they acted "of their own volition".
Several senators questioned this conclusion, and blamed military intelligence.
Mr Rumsfeld rejected charges that they violated international rules. He said that the Geneva Convention applied in Iraq but not to suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.
International rules did not apply to terrorists who "go around killing innocent civilians".
Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry yesterday renewed his call for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation and suggested he could be replaced by his fellow Vietnam veteran, Republican Senator John McCain.
Speaking on NBC, Mr Kerry said the US must "get rid of the American occupation, get the war out of the pocket of the American tax payers" and reach out to other nations for help.
Arab nations and Europe did not want a failed Iraqi nation and he would support President Bush if he tried to get countries back to the table.
He suggested that any number of people could take over from Mr Rumsfeld, including Republican Senators McCain and John Warner or Democratic Senator Carl Levin.