DHAKA: The bodies of 18 people were found near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, hours after they were abducted from their homes, police say.

The corpses with gunshots in the head were found near the town of Tarmiya.

They included two tribal chiefs, four policemen and an army major, AFP news agency quotes police sources as saying.

Execution style killings have been on the rise in Iraq.

Sectarian violence has surged across the country in recent months.

The UN says 979 people including 158 police and 127 military personnel were killed in violent attacks in October. More than 6,500 civilians have died since January, the highest annual toll since 2008.

The United Nations has called on Iraq`s political leaders to co-operate to end the bloodshed, which has escalated since an army raid on a Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp in April 2013.

The protesters had called for the resignation of Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who they accused of targeting the minority Sunni community.

Iraq has also seen a spill-over of violence from the conflict in Syria, where jihadist rebels linked to the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group that includes al-Qaeda, have risen to prominence.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1555 HRS, NOV 29, 2013