Trail of Death, Destruction Grips Iraq Town

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“Death squads” from both sects now operate. They drive around ridding neighborhoods of Sunnis or Shiites. In recent months, the litany has continued: the brother of the man who buys food for the office was killed by a roadside bomb; the cousin of our Arabic service correspondent was tortured and killed after being taken by the police; the father-in-law of one of our translators was shot by US troops and had to have his leg amputated; the brother of our reporter in Fallujah was killed by Iraqi troops... The vast majority of those who have died are Iraqis, and a huge number are also innocent victims. There is no definitive record but Iraq Body Count, a US-British nonprofit group, estimates 25,000 civilians were killed in just the first two years after the war began.