US troops snap prisoner abuse

US military police stacked Iraqi prisoners in human pyramids and attached wires to a hooded detainee in an attempt to convince him he might be electrocuted.

The abuse of prisoners was captured in a series of photos shown on the American 60 Minutes II program last night.

The photos were taken late last year at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, where US soldiers held hundreds of prisoners captive during the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

US troops

The US army in March announced that six members of the 800th Military Police Brigade faced court martial for allegedly abusing about 20 prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

The charges included dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts.

Amnesty International said in March many Iraqi detainees claimed to have been tortured by coalition troops.