Police find 40 tortured bodies in Baghdad 9/28/2006 8:00:00 AM GMT The bodies of 40 tortured men have been found dumped in the streets of the Iraqi capital over the past 24 hours, police said, according to the Associated Press. All the men, who had been shot and had their hands and feet bound, were dumped in several districts in eastern and western Baghdad, said police Lt. Thayer Mahmoud.
On Wednesday, police found 15 bodies, all showing signs of torture, in several areas outside Baghdad.
The bodies were discovered hours after the U.S.’s top military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, admitted that murders and executions are the main cause of civilian deaths in Baghdad.
“We are seeing an increase in attacks, as anticipated," he said.
Maj Gen Caldwell blamed much of the violence on death squads, adding that the operations against them have been stepped up over the past week, resulting in the arrest or killing of two squad leaders and 42 members.
Last week, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said in a report that civilian deaths in Iraq reached an unprecedented level, with more than 6,599 civilians killed in violent attacks in July and August, making them the deadliest months in the war-torn country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The report also said that bodies found in Baghdad morgue “often bear signs of severe torture, including acid-induced injuries and burns caused by chemical substances, missing skin, broken bones, missing eyes, missing teeth and wounds caused by power drills or nails.”
In other developments Thursday; • Unidentified gunmen opened fire on worshippers attending prayers at a mosque in the Hurriya district in Baghdad, killing more than 10 and wounding 11 others, police said.
• A car bomb blast killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded 10 others in north-eastern Baghdad.
• Another car bomb in central Baghdad killed five people and injured 34 others, police said.
• British and Iraqi forces launched a major operation in Basra city, which they say is aimed at purging the police of the militias that have infiltrated their ranks.
Iraqis support attacks on U.S. forces – Poll The vast majority of Iraqis support attacks on U.S.-led troops, and want their government to ask occupation forces to leave their country within a year, according to a poll published on Thursday.
Many Iraqis also have negative views of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, according to the poll, which was conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland for
WorldPublicOpinion.org.
The poll, carried out between September 1-4 among 1,150 Iraqi Kurds, Shias and Sunnis, found that:
• 78% of Iraqis believe that U.S. forces in Iraq provoke more violence than they prevent.
• 71% want U.S. occupation forces to leave their country within a year. Of this group, 37% want a U.S. withdrawal within the next six months.
• About 61% backed attacks on U.S. forces, up from 47% in January. The pollster said in statement that the support for attacks “appears to be related to the widespread view (held by 77%) that the U.S. plans to maintain permanent bases in Iraq and wouldn’t withdraw even if the Iraqi government asked it to (believed by 78%).”
• 94% of those polled have negative views of Osama bin Laden.
• 72% of Iraqis think that Iraq will be one state five years from now.
A separate U.S. State Department poll quoted by the Washington Post showed similar results: almost three-quarters of Baghdad residents said they would feel safer if U.S.-led occupation forces withdrew from Iraq, with 65% backing an immediate pullout.
"Majorities in all regions except Kurdish areas state that the (U.S.-led forces in Iraq) should withdraw immediately, adding that (their) departure would make them feel safer and decrease violence," concluded the 20-page State Department report, titled "Iraq Civil War Fears Remain High in Sunni and Mixed Areas," according to the Post.
The State Department poll was carried out in late June and early July among 1,870 Iraqis.
Despite the clear findings of the poll, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said:
"What I hear from government representatives and other anecdotal evidence that you hear from Iraqis that is collected by embassy personnel and military personnel is that Iraqis do appreciate our presence there.” 
