Iraqis protest in Basra over security

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - Thousands of people took to the streets Saturday in Basra, protesting deteriorating security in the southern city where Iraqi forces assumed responsibility for safety last December.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said that Iraqi security forces had discovered a mass grave in Diyala province containing perhaps 100 bodies. Police also reported that the bullet-ridden bodies of 13 men were found near the same town.

Also Saturday, two separate bombings in the province northeast of Baghdad left six people dead.

In Basra, Iraq's second-largest city and the urban center of an oil-rich region, Shiite groups have been wrestling for control.

Residents are becoming increasingly alarmed, saying that killings, kidnappings and other crimes have increased significantly since British forces turned over responsibility for Basra at the end of last year.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq