Baghdad, Iraq – The bodies of at least 12 people who had been shot and killed were found buried at a garbage dump in Baghdad today, Iraqi officials said.
Some of the victims were blindfolded and had been shot in the head execution-style, said Bassim al-Maslokhi, a soldier who was guarding the area during the recovery at the site on the outskirts of Baghdad.
There were conflicting accounts of the number of bodies found. Al-Maslokhi said 14 bodies were found. However, Kadhim al-Itabi, a local police chief, put the number at 12. Al-Itabi confirmed they had been shot.
Master Sgt. Greg Kaufman, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed an incident in the area, but would not provide details, referring queries to Iraqi authorities.
Police were called to the scene by impoverished residents who found some of the bodies while searching through the dump for scrap metal and other items to sell. Police found the victims, believed to be Iraqis, buried in shallow graves, said al-Maslokhi, adding that they seemed to have been killed recently.
Police dug holes at the site to see if other bodies could be found, he said.
