The Iraqi government has expressed outrage at the publication of more images of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison more than two years ago.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's office condemned the abuse depicted in the images first broadcast by Australian television this week. And Iraq's Human Rights Minister Zuhair al-Chalabi told Reuters news agency he believes U.S. forces should hand over their Iraqi detainees to the Iraqi government.

Iraqis have reacted angrily to the images, which show male detainees naked, hanging upside-down from a bed and with various red marks on their bodies. When images of the abuse were first published in 2004, they sparked widespread protests.

The U.S. Defense Department says it is concerned that the latest release of the pictures could spark more violence. It says the abuse incidents at Abu Ghraib have been investigated, and that more than 25 service members have been disciplined because of it.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.