17 bodies found east of Baghdad

Some 17 bodies were found in various sites near al-Qaem city border with Syria including 11 bodies killed by bullets in the head and others beheaded.

Witnesses said that 11 bodies were executed while their eyes were covered and hands tightened to their backs, wearing civilian costumes. They were found in a small village called Jabab, 30 km to the east of al-Qaem. It is not clear who killed those persons.

The Iraqi ministry of the interior stressed finding other 6 bodies outside Fistat village near al-Qaem on Thursday. They were wearing civil costumes with civil identities.

It was not clear immediately if those killed persons whose bodies were found in two different areas near al-Qaem were for Iraqi government soldiers or civilians. It is also not clear whether the 17 found bodies have links to a group of 20 Iraqi soldiers that went missing in al-Qaem area last Tuesday evening.

In the same context, al-Qaida organization in Mesopotamia said in a statement on the Internet on Thursday that it seizes 36 Iraqi soldiers and not 22 Iraqi policemen. The organization called for the release of all Iraqi women prisoners within 24 hours.

Meantime al-Barq ( lightening ) security operation of breaking in and inspection operations continued in Baghdad and its suburbs. The American army announced it detained 1000 as a result.