The decomposed bodies of 17 men have been found in Iraq's restive Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said on Wednesday. The bodies were found in a town near the provincial capital of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, in the past two days. All had gunshot wounds in the head.
They were among 60 bodies found in Diyala over the past month, said army sergeant Nassir al-Dulaimi, one of the soldiers who found them. Diyala and nearby northern provinces have become the most violent parts of Iraq in recent months as the level of violence in the country at large has fallen. US commanders say al Qaeda Sunni Arab militants have regrouped there after being pushed out of other parts of Iraq.