Compared with restive Baghdad, the second largest Iraqi city of Basra, 550 km south of the capital, remains relatively calm under the British troops' patrol.
Yet after photos of British soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners were published on Wednesday, many Iraqis now say the foreign forces are all the same.
Mohamed Abu Hamra, a writer, said even if it was true that some of the detainees were looters or thieves, it could not justify the sexual violations and the brutal physical torture.
The British Independent newspaper, which published some 22 pictures in three categories, said the first group showed British soldiers abusing Iraqis who robbed shops in the south after the former Saddam regime was toppled.
The British forces explained that the operation code-named "Ali Baba" was aimed at forcing the culprits to return the goods.
The second group showed Iraqi prisoners were stripped of their clothes and forced to pose in sexual positions, and the third group included photos of detainees being beaten by British soldiers.
In first reaction, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the pictures were shocking and appalling and there were simply no other words to describe them.
Three British soldiers were facing court martial before a military tribunal in Germany, charged with offenses ranging variously from battery, to forcing people in their custody to simulate sexual acts, to prejudicing good military order.
Last summer, when the mistreatment scandal in Abu Ghraib prison in the western suburb of Baghdad was exposed, some Britons gloated over the US embarrassment, praising their soldiers for treating Iraqis better than the Americans did.
But now they would feel uncomfortable to hear the comparisons to the Abu Ghraib scandal.
"What the British are proud of is the relative calmness in the southern areas where they are situated, in comparison with the regions occupied by the American forces," said Fahmy al-Bahily, a university professor in psychology.
"The reason for the quietness is not the good treatment of the British soldiers but the peaceful nature of the citizens in the south, in addition to their commitment to the Islam's teachings," he emphasized.
Observers said the scandals of the British soldiers dealt a big blow to the British policy in Iraq.
It seemed unlikely that the scandal would create serious pressure on Blair to pull out Britain's troops sooner, but it is certain to make the war even less popular only months before Blair is expected to face voters in a general election.
About 65,000 British troops are currently deployed in the southern region around Basra and they are often seen patrolling unarmored.