BAGHDAD, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The bodies of 19 people who were shot to death were found in the western Iraqi town of Qaim, police sources said Wednesday.

    The 19 bodies, including that of a woman, were discovered Tuesday night near al-Rumana village, some 20 km east of Qaim, the sources said.

    According to the sources, all of the bodies bore bullet wounds and were dressed in civilian clothes.

    They appeared to have been killed about a week earlier and their identities were under investigation, the sources added.

    The area in and around Qaim, some 350 km west of Baghdad, has been a bastion of insurgency against US forces and Iraq's fledgling security forces, who were accused of collaborating with the US troops. Enditem