This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28225184

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Iraq crisis: Fifty bodies found south of Baghdad Iraq crisis: Fifty bodies found south of Baghdad
(about 4 hours later)
Iraqi security forces have found the bodies of 53 men shot recently near a town south of Baghdad, police say.Iraqi security forces have found the bodies of 53 men shot recently near a town south of Baghdad, police say.
The men, who were still bound and had gunshot wounds to the head or chest, were found in Hamza al-Gharbi, 30km (18 miles) south-east of the city of Hilla. The men, who were bound, blindfolded and had gunshot wounds to the head or chest, were found in Hamza al-Gharbi, 30km (18 miles) from the city of Hilla.
It was not immediately clear who the victims were or why they were killed.It was not immediately clear who the victims were or why they were killed.
The mainly Shia area has not seen any activity by the jihadist-led Sunni rebels who have seized control of large swathes of northern and western Iraq. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has claimed that Kurdish-controlled Irbil province is becoming a haven for the jihadist-led Sunni rebels.
However, to the north is an area of Babil province that became known as the "Triangle of Death" because of the ferocity of the sectarian violence there in the years that followed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. The prime minister's relationship with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, which controls Irbil and two other neighbouring provinces, has deteriorated as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) and its allies have taken control of large swathes of northern and western Iraq.
At the peak of the civil war in 2006 and 2007, dozens of bullet-ridden bodies were found each day on Iraq's streets. Investigation
Security officials said an investigation was under way to determine the identities of the bodies discovered in an agricultural area near Hilla early on Wednesday, as well as the circumstances of their killings.
The victims were men aged between 25 and 40, police and mortuary officials said. It appeared they were killed several days ago.
The area south of Hilla is predominantly Shia and has not seen any significant activity by the jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) and its allies over the past month.
However, Sunni militants have been carrying out attacks around the southern outskirts of Baghdad since the spring. In response, Shia militiamen have been rounding up Sunnis they suspect of being behind the violence, many of whom later turn up dead.
The number of bodies found around the capital has reportedly risen since the beginning of the year, sparking fears of a return to the peak of the sectarian civil war in 2006 and 2007, when dozens were found each day dumped by the roadsides and in fields and canals.
Elsewhere in Babil province on Wednesday, two car bombs killed two people and wounded 13 others, according to the AFP news agency.
'Battle of destiny'
In his weekly televised address, Mr Maliki said government forces were fighting a "battle of destiny" to protect Iraq, its territorial integrity and sovereignty from internal and external threats.
He stressed that Iraq was facing a "conspiracy" by jihadist militants and remnants of the Baathist regime of former President Saddam Hussein, who he said were operating out of Kurdish areas.
"We will never be silent about Irbil being a headquarters for the terrorist operations of [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant], and Baathists and al-Qaeda," he warned.
The president of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, has said he no longer feels bound by the Iraqi constitution and intends to hold a referendum on independence within months. He has also insisted that Kurdish parties will not join another Maliki-led government.
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have meanwhile moved into previously disputed areas that have been abandoned by Iraqi security forces in the face of Isis's advance, such as the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.