U.S. news media say an internal military investigation has found U.S. Army officers and CIA agents encouraged the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

The report in the latest edition of The New Yorker Magazine says the still-classified investigation found "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" at the Abu Ghraib prison.

The U.S. Army reserve general in charge of the soldiers accused of abuse, says she suspects the suspects were encouraged by military intelligence.

The account appeared to confirm claims by the human rights group Amnesty International that the alleged torture is not an isolated incident.

President Bush and other senior U.S. and British leaders have denounced the alleged abuse. Military officials say they are taking criminal action against the accused soldiers.

Following the publication of photographs showing prisoner abuse, Arab and Muslim leaders around the world accused the United States of hypocrisy in its stance on human rights.

Meanwhile, British radio reports that sources close to the British army have cast doubt on the authenticity of photos that appear to show British soldiers torturing an Iraqi prisoner.

The claims were made in the British newspaper Daily Mirror that earlier carried the photos.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.