London, July 14 (ANI): British soldiers manipulated the cries of pain of Iraqi prisoners and made them dance like Michael Jackson, an inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa has heard.

The men claim they were also verbally abused, burned, stamped and urinated on and forced to lie face down over full latrines during the time they were held by the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in Basra in September 2003.

One of those detained, hotel worker Baha Mousa, 26, died from 93 separate injuries inflicted on him over a 36-hour period while other prisoners examined by a doctor suffered “extensive and serious” injuries. Much of their treatment was meted out in a bid to soften the men up for interrogation.

An inquiry into the abuse which opened in London on Monday heard that it may have provided extremists with a “rallying cry” to incite further attacks on UK forces in the war torn country.

According to Gerard Elias QC, the Counsel to the Inquiry, it also undermined the sacrifices made by other members of the Armed Forces working to improve security and rebuild the infrastructure following the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein.

The men were held in custody for as long as 56 hours, during which time conditioning techniques such as hooding and the use of stress techniques, outlawed in 1972 as a result of abuse in Northern Ireland, were used on them.

The Baha Mousa Inquiry is expected to last into next year and will hear evidence from soldiers involved as well as the detainees. (ANI)