Mass grave found in Iraq

BAGHDAD, March 8 (UPI) -- Iraqi security forces carrying out a routine raid found a mass grave in Diyala Province about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad.

The grave contained the skeletal remains of as many as 100 people, the Los Angeles Times reported. Security forces discovered it Friday in an orchard near Khalis.

"The skeletal remains appear to have been in the grave for a long time, and we have not yet determined who might be responsible for their death and burial," Maj. Winfield Danielson said in an e-mail.

Iraqi police said the grave appears to date from after the U.S. invasion in 2003. Diyala has been a stronghold of Sunni insurgents since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Violence continues in the province despite the success of the counter-insurgency strategy of the past year. Five people died and 10 were injured Saturday when roadside bombs hit a car and a minibus about 15 miles from Baqubah, the provincial capital.

A U.S. soldier was killed Friday.