Iraq office denies headless bodies reports
March 12, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq --Iraqi authorities on Saturday disputed reports that 15 headless bodies were found south of Baghdad earlier in the week.

But Iraqi Defense Ministry and army officials who were the original sources for the reports insisted -- when contacted again on Saturday -- that the decapitated bodies had, in fact, been found.

The Government Communications Directorate's Media Relations office said in an English-language announcement that "official sources in the ministries of Defense, Interior and Health deny the news that some of mass media reported regarding finding 15 bodies beheaded in Latifiya."

An official in the Media Relations office refused to expand on the statement when contacted by The Associated Press.