Mass graves discovered in and south of Baghdad

Iraqi villagers and soldiers unearthed at least 13 bodies from a shallow, dusty grave in farmland south of Baghdad, and the U.S. military said Wednesday it found another 10 bodies in a sewer shaft east of the capital.

Associated Press Television News footage showed Iraqi troops and civilians digging in dusty soil in a deserted agricultural area on the outskirts of Latifiyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. At least three severely decomposed bodies could be seen unearthed from side-by-side graves. One had a turban or bandage tied crudely around his head.

The U.S. military could not confirm the discovery, but said its soldiers, acting on a tip from a local citizen, found at least 10 decaying bodies Tuesday in a separate location, in the sewer shaft of a building in east Baghdad.

Those victims appeared to have died more than two years ago, said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, with the Army's 4th Infantry Division. Iraqi police have taken over the investigation, he said.

Latifiyah, a mostly Sunni town that also has some Shiite residents, was taken over by al-Qaida-linked militants a few years ago, and became a hotbed of Sunni militant activity before U.S. and Iraqi forces regained control late last year, said Iraqi Maj. Faisal Ali Hussein, who supervised that digging Tuesday.