Britain probing Iraq detainee abuse claims

LONDON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The British Ministry of Defense says it is looking into seven new cases of alleged Iraqi prisoner abuse by British troops.

Armed forces minister Bill Rammell said the fresh investigations were opened within the last month, the BBC reported Saturday.

Attorneys representing former Iraqi detainees told the British newspaper The Independent that there are a total of 33 alleged cases of abuse that deserve full public inquiry, including an allegation that two soldiers raped a 16-year-old boy in 2003.

"Allegations of this nature are taken very seriously. However allegations must not be taken as fact," Rammell told the BBC. He indicated that seven new probes have been launched in recent weeks, adding, "The rest of them are cases that date back significantly beyond that period and they are being investigated. Any allegation of abuse is taken with the utmost seriousness."

The Independent reported that in addition to the child rape allegation, other detainees claim they were sexually humiliated by being stripped naked, abused and photographed. Another prisoner swears he was kicked and hit when he was arrested, with an electric baton used on parts of his body.