Saturday, November 04, 2006
Baghdad: 80 bodies found in 24 hours
Security
Iraqi police have found more than 80 bodies of torture victims in Baghdad since Thursday, the latest victims of violence in the city. The bodies were found throughout the capital between 6am on Thursday and 6pm on Friday. All were dressed in civilian clothes and had been bound at the wrists and ankles, Mohammed Khayon, a Baghdad police lieutenant, said. They also showed signs of torture. Khayon said the police had no solid information on the victims' identities or their killers. South of Baghdad, in the town of Kut, police found 13 more bodies on Friday, pulling seven from the Tigris river, while nine more violent deaths were reported across Iraq.
COMMENT: The bodies are likely to be mainly victims of sectarian violence, probably Sunni and Shia, and some possibly following the recent mass kidnappings during the past week. But without ID it is hard to establish facts. As the killings continue to mount up, the government appears to have less control over the security situation than ever, particularly when the different factions within the government itself cannot agree. COMMENT ENDS.
