26 Killed in Revenge Attacks Outside Baghdad - New York Times

26 Killed in Revenge Attacks Outside Baghdad - New York Times: "BAGHDAD, Oct. 14 — A rural Shiite town northwest of here exploded in sectarian reprisals on Saturday as angry residents, many roving the streets in armed packs on the backs of pickup trucks, killed at least 26 people from a nearby Sunni village, provincial authorities said.

The killings in the town of Balad , about 50 miles from Baghdad, were in response to the slaughter of 14 Shiite construction workers whose beheaded bodies were found Friday in an orchard in Dhuluiya, a Sunni town, said Hamad al-Qaisi, governor of Salahuddin Province, which includes both towns.

The workers had gone to Dhuluiya on Thursday to help rebuild houses and were on their way back when they were kidnapped by Sunni militiamen, said another government official from Salahedin who spoke on condition of anonymity.

When their corpses were eventually brought back to Balad, angry mobs gathered in the streets clamoring for revenge, Mr. al-Qaisi said." Read complete post here.