BAGHDAD, Iraq: The Iraqi army said Tuesday it found 15 beheaded corpses on an old military base near Latifiyah, south of Baghdad.

Captain Muhammad Abdul Hussein As-Saedi said the corpses, both men and women, were found during an army raid on the old Hatin army base, now believed to be used by terrorists.

The army launched the operation after reports that some pilgrims on their way to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala - home to the holy shrines of Al-Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb (p), Al-Imam Al-Hussein (p) and Al-Abbas (p) - had disappeared near Latifiyah, where terrorists frequently launch attacks.

Iraqi government reports in November last year showed that hundreds of pilgrims to the holy sites of the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala were martyred during past few months while crossing Al-Latifiyah city.

The towns of Latifiyah, Yusufiyah, Mahmudiyah and Iskandariyah lie inside the triangle of death, an area where terrorists have carried out strings of deadly attacks against Westerners besides pilgrims to Najaf and Karbala and followers of Ahlul Bayt (p).

According to witnesses the terrorists, keeping malice for followers of the holy Prophet (p) and his progeny (p) working in the name of Islam in a bid to defame the religion of love and peace, force pilgrims to the holy cities to use abusive language for Master of Believers Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of holy Prophet (p) and Imam Hussein (p), grandson of holy Prophet (p). On refusing to do so, the terrorists kill them.

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