Forty-two bodies found dumped across Baghdad: police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Forty-two dumped bodies have been found
in different parts of Baghdad over the last 24 hours — many of
them shot, bound and showing signs of torture, police sources
said on Wednesday.

Most of them were found in eastern Baghdad, the sources
added. Twelve were in one place in the Baladiyat district and
eight in the nearby Sadr City area of the capital.

The discovery of dumped bodies is common in Iraq,
especially since the February bombing of a Shi’ite shrine in
the city of Samarra which touched off a wave of sectarian
killings and revenge attacks sparking fears of a full-blown
civil war.

The new Shi’ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki has vowed to rein in violence that has killed
thousands of people since the U.S.-led invasion to topple
Saddam Hussein in 2003.