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01/24/2006:

"Many abducted Iraqis found dead"

Iraqi security officials have discovered the bodies of 23 police volunteers kidnapped last Monday.

The men were found shot dead on open land north of the capital Baghdad, the officials said.

The victims were part of a group of 35 men seized by insurgents as they travelled home to the northern city of Samarra by bus last Monday evening.

They were returning home after they had failed to be accepted into a police training school.

Militants stopped the bus at a checkpoint. The men had received an armed escort on their way down to the capital, but not on their return.

The 12 other bodies are said to have been found last week.

The incident is the latest in a series in which insurgents have targeted recruits to the security forces.
bbc.co.uk