The soldiers, aged mostly in their 20s and from Antrim and other parts of Northern Ireland, posted photographs of soldiers abusing Iraqi soldiers, as well as writing sexist, racist and sectarian comments online.

The material, thought to have been posted by at least six Northern Irish soldiers, was removed by the British ministry of defence last Monday following an investigation by the Metro Eireann newspaper. An internal investigation has now been launched.

"The British army has a policy of zero tolerance towards all kinds of prejudice, sectarianism, harassment and bullying and absolutely does not condone any such behaviour, " said Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson of the MOD.

The soldiers' Bebo pages included loyalist slogans, neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan (KKK) symbols as well as homophobic, sexist and racist images and statements. One soldier stated he is happiest when "killing dirty ragheads", while another soldier posted an image of a soldier getting an Iraqi civilian to hold a sign that said, 'I f**k sheep when I'm not busy mortaring the base'.

The same soldier also posted pictures of Iraqi children with the word 'gimps' underneath and displayed the logo of the banned Ulster Volunteer Force.

Another Irish Guard's Bebo page revealed a picture of a soldier reenacting the hanging of Saddam Hussein, along with images of loyalist gunmen.

Statements such as 'Kill all Arabs', 'It isn't rape if you shout surprise', and 'gays, f**king poofs need a 9mm round to the back of the head' were littered throughout the websites. One soldier posed in full uniform in front of a billboard of the ten republican prisoners who died on hunger strike in 1981. 'Kill all Taigs [Catholics]' was written underneath.

The soldiers are all thought to be with the 1st Battalion Irish Guard regiment in Basra which has been ordered by the MOD to launch an immediate investigation into the Bebo pages.

However, the MOD has been criticised for its slow reaction to the scandal. Despite being alerted to the websites on 18 July, five days passed before the pages were finally removed, during which time more offensive images were posted.

The images first came to light when members of the Irish Guards held a 12 July march in Basra, complete with fake nationalist protesters and RUC members. Pictures of the event were posted on several Bebo pages, which led to the discovery of the abusive photographs.

A photo on one of the six men's Bebo sites shows a uniformed and armed soldier with the caption:

'Don't run, you'll only die tired'.

Another soldier, whose page is littered with swastikas, writes: "I'm 27 and in Iraq on a seven-month tour of this beautiful country. The people are lovely and would do anything for ya. I'm just bull-shittin, they are a shower of c**ts."

Another disturbing series of pictures appeared to show a group of soldiers tying a distressed-looking fellow soldier to a post with orange tape.

The number of recruits from Northern Ireland to the Irish Guards has dropped in recent years, although unionist communities in the North have continued to provide a large number of soldiers.

Sources in the British army described the actions of the men as "appalling" and a "bloody disgrace".