Baghdad morgue overflowing with bodies in courtyard

David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Monday June 11, 2007 Print This Email This

On Sunday, CNN showed bodies laid out in an Iraq courtyard for wailing relatives to reclaim, reporting that "for over a year, there's been little or no room in Baghdad's morgues."

The "surge" plan did appear to be reducing sectarian killings in March and April, as the militias laid low, but now, as reported by the Washington Post in late May, the number of murders is nearly back to pre-surge levels. Almost 750 bodies were found last month, many of them showing signs of torture.

An Iraqi police colonel explained to CNN that "the killings will continue as long as the security forces remain on the outskirts of neighborhoods. Few Iraqi police dare to enter inside the most dangerous areas."

The US military describes the increase in murders as a "spike," saying that overall levels of violence are lower since the surge. However, the report concludes, with "only a quarter of the capital under control, it's difficult to see how increased troops on the ground will consistently reduce sectarian violence."

The following video is from CNN, broadcast on June 10.







