Opposition Islamic party PAS today condemned the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US and British soldiers, and said it showed that Washington was the "real terrorist".

In a statement, PAS youth leader Salahuddin Ayub said the US action violated human rights and international laws, and "proves to the world who the real terrorists are".

"We see such cruel acts as a manifestation of the violent policies sponsored by President George W Bush, which encourage violence against Muslims. We condemn the animal-like behaviour of the US soldiers in abusing the prisoners," he said.

"They are not humans but demons... their cruel acts prove that the human rights and democracy rhetoric trumpeted by the US when it first began to conquer Iraq was a mere act to gain support," he said.

"The US has proven it is not the sponsor of democracy but the initiator of iron-fist regimes."

Stern action

PAS urged the United Nations to take stern action against the perpetrators and to halt any further US abuses on Iraq.

Recently-released photographs showing the abuse of Iraqi detainees by US and British troops shocked the world, while analysts warned the scandal could damage US credibility.

Television footage broadcast last week showed inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, some naked, in humiliating, sexually suggestive poses. Some images also showed US military personnel pointing and laughing at prisoners.

Malaysia has described the alleged abuse as "very obnoxious behaviour with no respect for humanity," and has urged the United States and Britain to ensure investigations undertaken would not seek to justify the abuse. - AFP