14 bodies found in Iraq- killed by insurgents… that was the story until this memo suggests otherwise. It has the time of the abduction and the names of all 14 victims written down, described as ‘detainees’ by an Iraqi General.
[Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder] hat tip: GI Special

A document obtained by Knight Ridder appears to reveal the existence of an Interior Ministry death squad.

A memo written by an Iraqi general in the ministry operations room and addressed to the minister’s office says on its subject line: “Names of detainees.” It lists 14 men who were taken from Iskan, a Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad, during the early morning hours of Aug. 18. It also marks the time of their detention: 5:15 a.m.

The bodies of the same 14 men were found in the town of Badrah near the Iranian border .. killed by single gunshots to their heads.

The general who signed the Interior Ministry memo, Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, confirmed its authenticity. But despite a heading that reads “Names of the detainees in the Iskan District,” Khalaf maintained that insurgents, not Interior Ministry police, had abducted the men.

It’s unclear, however, why an Interior Ministry general would refer to men who’d been kidnapped by Sunni insurgents as “detainees” in an official government document, or how the general knew the exact time of the abduction.

Pressed for more details, Khalaf said: “The minister is very upset. He wants to know how such a document slipped out of the ministry.“

ha ha ha- just like his American counterparts, not concerned about the crime, just about plugging the leak.

I wonder if this Death Squads story would have any effect on the Iraqi election?