The former head of a US military police unit at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison is under investigation following charges he secretly photographed naked female US soldiers as they showered.
Captain Leo Merck (32), a member of the California National Guard who commanded the 124-strong 870th Military Police Company, has been relieved of duty.
"Three of our soldiers were in the shower. If you just walked by the shower you could see their ankles," said Lt. Michael Drayton, who took over command of the unit after Capt Merck was removed in November. "My understanding is that he was taking pictures. One of the soldiers noticed the flash."
Capt. Merck, a veteran of the first Gulf War who worked as a financial analyst before going to Iraq, is suspected of taking the photos in November.
The incident is the latest embarrassment for the US occupying force in Iraq. In recent days media worldwide have aired pictures of grinning soldiers abusing naked male Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the same prison once used by Saddam Hussein's torturers.
Capt Merck, who is married, is in Kuwait under US Army control.
The Contra Costa Times, which broke the story on Wednesday, quoted Spc. Myrna Hernandez (26) as saying she saw Capt Merck photograph her as she was showering with two other women.
"I saw a guy get on all fours with a digital camera in his hands. His head was going under the wall, and we made eye contact," she told the newspaper. "I was in shock, like what do I do now?"