50 Iraqi Soldiers Found Shot to Death

By The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The bodies of about 50 unarmed Iraqi soldiers - many killed execution-style with gunshots to the back of the head - were found on a remote road in eastern Iraq, victims of an ambush as they were heading home on leave after basic training, Iraqi authorities said Sunday.

Also, a State Department security officer was killed during a mortar or rocket attack at a U.S. base near the Baghdad airport.

The nature of the attack on the soldiers suggested an increased boldness and organization by insurgents, who, until now, have mainly used roadside bombs and suicide car bombs in their attacks on the Iraqi military and police.

Interior Ministry spokesman Adnan Abdul-Rahman said the victims were believed to have been killed about sundown Saturday on a road about 95 miles east of Baghdad near the Iranian border.

Police offered varying accounts of the incident, with one source saying all the victims were shot in the back of the head. Some of the victims had their hands crossed behind their heads, said Lt. Ali Jawad Kadhim from the nearby Mandali police station.

Photos from the site showed the outstretched bodies laid out in formation, some charred, others bloodied. Many had their arms at their sides.

There were conflicting reports on the exact number of dead, whether they were members of the Iraqi army or the Iraqi National Guard and whether they were all killed execution-style.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene reported seeing the burned frames of two minibuses. Bloodstains were visible on the ground, along with human remains. Witnesses said the attackers stole some buses. Police said they had found 51 bodies from the attack place.

Initial reports citing witnesses that insurgents had initiated the attack by firing rocket-propelled grenades at several vehicles carrying the unarmed troops have not been confirmed.

Police said witnesses saw the soldiers’ buses being stopped by the attackers before they were forced to leave the area.

Gen. Walid al-Azzawi, commander of the Diyala provincial police, said the bodies were laid out in four rows each, with 12 bodies in each row.

After inspection, we found out that they were shot after being ordered to lay down on the earth,'' he said. Al-Azzawi said he believed the soldiers were training at the Kirkush military camp northeast of Baghdad. The soldiers had just finished their training course and were being given leave before reporting for duty, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said. Diyala's deputy Gov. Aqil Hamid al-Adili told Al-Arabiya TV he believed the ambush had been set up.There was probably collusion among the soldiers or other groups. Otherwise, the gunmen would not have gotten the information about the soldiers’ departure from their training camp and that they were unarmed,’’ he said.

In the future we will try to be more careful when the soldiers leave their camps. We will provide them with protected cars that can escort them home.'' A U.S. military source in the region confirmed the incident, but was uncertain of the number of dead. Kadhim said the Iraqi bodies were taken to the Kirkush training camp, where they would be identified through military records since their IDs and belongings were stolen in the attack. The State Department agent killed was identified by the U.S. Embassy as Ed Seitz, who worked for the department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. He was killed about 5 a.m. at Camp Victory, embassy spokesman Bob Callahan said. Camp Victory is the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition's ground forces command. An undetermined number of people were injured in the attack, but none had life-threatening injuries, Callahan said. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is on a tour of Asia, said,The Department of State and I mourn the loss of one of our own today in Baghdad.’’

Ed was a brave American, dedicated to his country and to a brighter future for the people of Iraq,'' Powell said.Ed’s death is a tragic loss for me personally, and for all of his colleagues at the Department of State.’’

Ed Seitz died in the service of his country and for the cause of liberty and freedom for others. There is no more noble a sacrifice.'' Meanwhile in the northern city of Mosul, a car bomb exploded near a U.S. patrol, the military said. No casualties were reported. A videotape posted Saturday on Islamic Web sites showed Iraqi militants claiming to have beheaded a man who said he worked for the U.S. military in the northern city of Mosul for the past year. The man, who identified himself as Seif Adnan Kanaan, said he fixed vehicles and delivered beverages to U.S. forces based at Mosul airport. The killing was claimed by the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, which claims to have killed at least 14 other hostages. Also Saturday, the husband of the kidnapped director of CARE International's operations in Iraq appealed for her release. Margaret Hassan, 59, who has British, Irish and Iraqi citizenship, was seized Tuesday in western Baghdad. On Friday, she made an emotional televised plea to British Prime Minister Tony Blair to save her life by withdrawing his country's troops from Iraq. On Saturday, her Iraqi husband, Tahseen Ali Hassan, begged for the kidnappers to free herin the name of Islam.’’

It hurts to watch my wife cry,'' Tahseen Hassan said on Al-Arabiya television.This scene has saddened and worried her friends and loved ones. I plead with you, in the name of Islam and Arabism - while we are in the most sacred Islamic month - that my wife and beloved return to me.’’

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