30 bodies, mostly beheaded, found in Iraq village

BAGHDAD, Mar 26 (Reuters) Iraqi army officials said today that 30 bodies, most of them beheaded, were found near the town of Baquba, outside Baghdad.

The officials said the corpses were discovered on the main road in the village of Mulla Eed near Baquba, 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad.

Hundreds of bodies have been found in Iraq since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra last month touched off reprisals and pushed the country to the brink of sectarian civil war.

Most are believed to be victims of sectarian violence.

Baquba, a town with a mixed Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim population, has been at the forefront of much of the sectarianism.

REUTERS OM RN2155