The British military has launched an investigation into photographs published Saturday in Britain's mass-circulation Daily Mirror newspaper appearing to show troops beating and urinating on an Iraqi prisoner in a camp near Basra in British-controlled southern Iraq.

However, Britain's national broadcaster said sources close to the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, from whose soldiers the Daily Mirror said it had obtained the photos, believe several aspects of the pictures are suspicious.

The rifle appears to be an SA80 mk 1, which was not issued to soldiers in Iraq, the BBC said.

Troops also wore berets or hard hats, not the floppy hats as seen in the pictures. The truck in the photo also appears to be a type never used in Iraq, the broadcaster said.

The photos, showing a man in army uniform appearing to urinate on a bound captive who had a bag over his head, were condemned by British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday as "completely and utterly unacceptable"

Further pictures inside appeared to show a soldier jabbing the man -- who was picked up for suspected theft -- in the groin with a rifle, and the prisoner lying on the floor with a soldier's boot on his head.

The Daily Mirror -- the strongest voice of opposition to the Iraq war among the British press -- said that the prisoner, aged 18-20, was savagely beaten before being thrown from a moving truck. His fate is not known.

WAR.WIRE