6 Sunnis killed for meeting with Shiites
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen stormed the home of a Sunni family threatened with death for meeting with local Shiites, separating out the women and children and executing six men on Saturday, Iraqi police and military officials said.
The attack near Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of the Iraqi capital, was apparently connected to rising sectarian violence that has included the claimed abduction and execution Friday of at least 14 members of the Shiite-led security forces. But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis — revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shiites and those who will kill to stop it.
The men gunned down Saturday — all relatives from the Mashhada tribe — were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, said police 1st Lt. Haider Satar.
Iraqi Army Capt. Ahmed al-Obeidi, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, confirmed the attack.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighboring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed at least two had their hands tied bound behind their backs.
Police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni insurgents after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shiites last month.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen stormed the home of a Sunni family threatened with death for meeting with local Shiites, separating out the women and children and executing six men on Saturday, Iraqi police and military officials said.
The attack near Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of the Iraqi capital, was apparently connected to rising sectarian violence that has included the claimed abduction and execution Friday of at least 14 members of the Shiite-led security forces. But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis — revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shiites and those who will kill to stop it.
The men gunned down Saturday — all relatives from the Mashhada tribe — were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, said police 1st Lt. Haider Satar.
Iraqi Army Capt. Ahmed al-Obeidi, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, confirmed the attack.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighboring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed at least two had their hands tied bound behind their backs.
Police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni insurgents after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shiites last month.
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