Iraqi officials: 14 bodies, some with hands bound, blindfolded, found in Baghdad

Iraqis visit the grave of a relative on the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 28, 2014. Monday marked the beginning of the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Muslims usually start the day by visiting cemeteries, to pay their respects to the dead, and then exchange family visits. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) (The Associated Press)

BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say that 14 bullet-riddled bodies have been found in different areas of the capital, Baghdad.

The discovery is a grim reminder of the sectarian killing that engulfed Iraq in 2006 and 2007.

Two police officers and a morgue official say the bodies were dumped in the streets and discovered late Sunday and early Monday.

They said all were men aged between 25 to 40 years old and had gunshots to the head and chest. Some were blindfolded with their hands bound, while others showed marks of torture.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The deaths raise fears of more sectarian bloodletting at a time of soaring tensions following Sunni insurgent land grabs across Iraq.