WASHINGTON, April 3 (UPI) -- A top U.S. general in Iraq said reports that 30 headless bodies were found north of Baghdad were false.
"We went to multiple sites to look for the 32 headless bodies that was reported to our headquarters, and we did not find anything; nor did any of the local citizens that were in these areas could verify that anybody had ever been in there. So I look at that report as completely false right now," said Maj. Gen. James Thurman, the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division.
The 4th ID is responsible for Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala and Babil provinces. It took over Baghdad -- one of the most dangerous places to serve in Iraq -- on Jan. 7.
Iraqi police reported March 27 that 30 headless bodies had been found in Mulla Eed, a town about 65 kilometers north of Baghdad. Police suggested the corpses were victims of sectarian violence, set off in the wake of the Feb. 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra. News of the grim discovery temporarily halted discussions between factions attempting to form a national unity government.
Thurman said Friday much of the ongoing violence in Iraq is criminal rather than sectarian, apparently trying to tamp down concerns of civil war.
"Any type of activity that is violent in nature, that is outside the rule of law, causes me great concern," Thurman said. "Whether it be a terrorist event or whether it be criminal activity, it doesn't matter; it's still violence and it's got to be corrected."
