Confusion as Iraq parades alleged British prisoners of war on TV

Serious doubts were last night cast over video footage obtained by the Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera purporting to show two British or American prisoners of war.

British military sources said they did not believe the men, one of whom had long dreadlocks, were British servicemen and claimed their hair and dress suggested they may not be soldiers at all.

However, it was confirmed that other footage, also shown on al-Jazeera, did show the bodies of two British servicemen who have been missing since their Land Rover was ambushed on Sunday.

British military leaders were "shocked" that the footage, in which the men are identifiable, was being shown and demanded the channel pull it.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "This is a flagrant and disgraceful breach of the Geneva convention. We deplore the decision by al-Jazeera to broadcast such material and call upon them to desist immediately. We request all media outlets not to become tools for Iraqi propaganda by rebroadcasting such material."

The identities of the two men were still being formally confirmed last night.

The men whom al-Jazeera said were prisoners of war were both thick-set men. One, with close-cropped hair, wore a white T-shirt and a bomber-like jacket. The second had dreadlocks and appeared to be wearing a short-sleeved coat over a T-shirt.

Al-Jazeera originally described the pair as British, but later said they may have been American.

British defence sources suggested the men's dress and the fact that one had dreadlocks meant they were almost certainly not British. The sources also thought they might not even be soldiers. A military source in Qatar said no British servicemen were reported missing.

The two dead British men were thought to be attached to the 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats and are believed to have been killed in the area around az Zubayr, near the southern city of Basra, on Sunday after becoming separated from their unit. Their burnt-out Land Rover was later recovered.

They were the first British troops to go missing in action. The number of British servicemen now confirmed dead is 22.

The poor quality amateur-looking footage showed two bodies lying spreadeagled in a dusty road next to what looked like a Land Rover. One of the soldiers seems to have suffered chest injuries while the other's wounds were unclear. The footagelasted less than 30 seconds.

It appeared the film was recorded by Iraqis on Sunday and handed to al-Jazeera yesterday, a military official said.

Both films are being seen as part of the Iraqi regime's attempt to win the propaganda war.

It is the fourth time that film of - or purporting to be of - captured or killed coalition soldiers has been shown, a tactic which the coalition says breaches the Geneva convention.

Five American soldiers captured in an ambush near the city of Nasiriya were paraded on Iraqi television on Sunday. Later images of the bodies of US troops who died in the same incident were shown on al-Jazeera.

Next day footage of two US pilots was broadcast on Iraqi television after their Apache attack helicopter came down south of Baghdad.

Hitting back at criticisms over such film, Iraq has accused the coalition of kidnapping civilians and showing them off as captured prisoners of war.

The coalition denies this claim but last night British military sources admitted it had been a mistake to show Iraqi prisoners of war on television.