The government has been severely embarrassed by the release of 22 photographs showing alleged abuse of Iraqis by British forces at an aid camp in Basra, which dominate the front pages.

Three soldiers are facing a court martial in the German city of Osnabruck over the claims, with two of the men pleading not guilty and one admitting to a charge of assault.

But the release of the images, showing attacks and simulated sex acts, threatens to damage the Army's reputation in Iraq and the wider world.

Reviving memories of the Abu Ghraib scandal in a US jail in Iraq, they could also hit the government at home.

Army chief General Sir Mike Jackson said last night Britain "condemned utterly" all abuse.

But he stressed that the case was ongoing and that it involved a "very small number" of the 65,000 UK troops who have served in Iraq.

However the Liberal Democrats said the public would be dismayed.

"These pictures will inevitable open old wounds and be part of drawing parallels with Abu Ghraib," foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell said.