Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

   BAGHDAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi police patrol found 47 bodies in different parts of Baghdad during the past 24 hours, a well-informed Interior Ministry source said on Saturday.

   "Our patrols collected up to 47 bodies during the past 24 hours across Baghdad," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

   The bullet-riddled bodies were bound and blindfolded, showing signs of torture before they were killed, the source said.

   The police found at least 51 bodies on Friday and 32 on Thursday in different parts of Baghdad.

   The almost daily gruesome body findings, assassinations and explosions in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities were seen as a major setback for the Iraqi government's efforts to stem violence and achieve national reconciliation. Enditem