Iraq police find 17 bodies, some bound, in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraqi police found 17 bullet-riddled bodies in different areas of the capital, Baghdad, officials said Monday, raising fears of more sectarian bloodletting at a time of soaring tensions after Sunni insurgent seized territory across the country.

Authorities found the bodies of 14 men and three women dumped in the streets late Sunday and early Monday, two police officers said. Some had suffered gunshot wounds in the heads and chest, with others blindfolded and bound, they said. Some showed signs of being tortured, they said.

Officers found no identification cards on the bodies and police could not offer a motive in their killings.

The discovery is a grim reminder of the sectarian killing that engulfed Iraq in 2006 and 2007. Then, both Shiite and Sunni death squads roamed the streets and raided homes to round up people. Authorities later found the victims' corpses, often mutilated.

Also Monday, driver-by shooters armed with pistols fitted with silencers killed four men in different areas in Baghdad, police said.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figure. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

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