Over 50 Bodies Found South of Baghdad

A total of 53 bodies have recently been discovered, lying south of Baghdad. Many of the corpses were found blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs. The dead were uncovered in a rural area, in a Shiite area just outside the capital city. All the victims were men, between the ages of 25 and 40.

Some observers believe the killings could signal a new wave of sectarian violence in the nation. Warfare based on religious divisions peaked in Iraq between 2006 and 2007.

No one is certain of a motive for the executions. There are several Sunni area around the region where the bodies were recovered.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq of harboring in Sunni extremists. That region enjoys a degree of self-rule from the leaders in Baghdad. As sectarian fighting in the nation becomes worse, the political divide between national leaders and those in the north are becoming more pronounced.

The Prime Minister stated, “We will never be silent about Arbil becoming a base for the operations of the Islamic State and Baathists and Al Qaeda and the terrorists.”

As the militant group ISIS takes control of cities, oil refineries and border checkpoints across the nation, Iran is offering assistance to the U.S.-sponsored government. One official, sent to Iraq by Tehran, was recently killed by a roadside bomb.

Brigadier General Saad Maan Ibrahim told the press an investigation is seeking information about the killings. Medical officials believe the executions occurred a few days to a week before the bodies were found.

During the worst in-fighting between Islamic groups there, bodies were frequently dumped by road side and in public areas. Those incidents have become less common over the last seven years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/09/iraq-security-maliki-idUSL6N0PK31420140709

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-50-bodies-south-of-baghdad-apparent-sectarian-bloodletting

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/50-found-dead-amid-iraq-turmoil-30418575.html

http://rt.com/news/171464-iraq-bodies-found-massacre

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/09/iraq-baghdad-killings_n_5570126.html