BAGHDAD (AP) — Six Sunni men who had received death threats for meeting with local Shiites were killed Saturday in execution-style slayings, 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 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.
