Pictures of Iraqi rape deemed fake

AMMAN, Jordan, May 12 (UPI) -- U.S. embassy officials in Jordan said Wednesday pictures showing U.S. soldiers abusing and raping an Iraqi girl were fake.

Embassy spokesman Justin Spearl said in a statement published by the Jordanian press that "making such allegations as rape and abuse are very dangerous claims and should be verified before being circulated in Jordanian newspapers."

He said "colleagues at the American embassy in Cairo discovered that these ugly pictures published on the Internet showing American soldiers raping an Iraqi girl are forged."

Spearl charged the phony pictures were aimed at shocking the United States and fueling anti-U.S. sentiments among Arabs.