It has emerged that US soldiers guarding another arms dump in Baghdad stripped four suspected looters, burnt their clothes and forced them at gunpoint onto the streets naked.

The degraded prisoners had the words “Ali Baba, Haram’’ scrawled on their chests–Arabic for 'thief' and 'sinful.'

Reports of the incident provoked outrage from human rights organizations. They say the US troops broke the Geneva Convention, which protects prisoners against “insults or public curiosity”.

Amnesty International called on the US to launch an investigation and promised to raise the matter urgently with the United Nations this week.

The incident provoked dozens of anti-American protests in the capital.

• Line Fransson, journalist with the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

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• View photos published in Daglbadet