Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051206191600.htm

International

Iraq: April toll reaches 1,100

Tide of reprisal sectarian killings

BAGHDAD: Almost 1,100 persons were killed in Baghdad alone last month, their unidentified bodies dumped around the city in what Iraq's President said was a wake up call for feuding factions to unite against surging crime and terrorism.

Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said in a statement the 1,091 bodies found in the Baghdad area in April were the tip of the iceberg. ``We feel shock, dismay and anger over the daily reports of the discovery of unidentified corpses and those of others killed'' around the capital, the statement added.

``If we add this to the number of corpses that are not discovered, or to similar crimes in other provinces, then the total number ... reflects that we are confronting a situation no less dangerous than the results of terrorist acts'' such as car bombings and other attacks.

Scores of unidentified bodies turn up around the capital on a daily basis, many bound, tortured and shot execution style in what officials say in an unwavering tide of reprisal sectarian killings.

Sunni Arabs, who form the minority but were once the power brokers under Saddam Hussein, say they are being targeted by so-called Shia death squads operating either from within the Shia-led Interior Ministry, or with the Ministry's tacit approval.

Shias say thousands of their community have had to flee their homes to escape threats by Sunni extremists.

Leadership of the Interior Ministry — a key to securing the country against the steadily escalating wave of violence — has been one of the key stumbling blocks in the formation of the new national unity government.

Saying behind every unidentified corpse is ``an orphan, a starving father or a grieving wife,'' Mr. Talabani warned that these daily abductions and murders were stoking a ``climate of suspicion among the sons of the nation.''

He said terrorists were capitalising on the weakness of government institutions and stressed that the formation of the new Government would help lead to a climate in which such attacks can be halted.

Four U.S. soldiers killed

Roadside bombs hit two U.S. Army convoys southwest of Baghdad on Thursday, killing a total of three soldiers, the military said.

Another U.S. soldier died two days ago from non-combat related wounds suffered near Mosul, 360 km northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. command announced on Thursday. — AP