53 bodies found in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, July 10 (Reuters): Iraqi security forces found 53 corpses, blindfolded and handcuffed, in a town south of Baghdad early Wednesday, local officials said. They said the bodies had been left in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim village of Khamissiya, about 25 km southeast of the city of Hilla, near the main highway running from the capital to the southern provinces.

The head of the provincial council, local police and the governor's office all confirmed the discovery of the bodies, but had no immediate information on the identity of the dead, who appeared to have been killed execution style.

The bodies were found at 2 am Wednesday, they said.