Iraqi security forces have found the bullet-riddled bodies of 53 men in a mainly Shia area south of Baghdad.
The men, who were bound, blindfolded and had wounds to the head or chest, were found in a field outside Hamza al-Gharbi, a town in Babil province.
It was not immediately clear who the victims were or why they were killed.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki alleged that Kurdish-controlled Irbil province is becoming a haven for the jihadist-led Sunni rebels.