Headless corpses dumped in Iraqi base

IRAQI officials have found 41 bullet-riddled or beheaded bodies at two sites and they said yesterday they believe some of the corpses are Iraqi soldiers kidnapped and killed by insurgents.

At least 30 American contractors, meanwhile, were wounded by a suicide bombing near a hotel.

In another attack, interim planning minister Mahdi al-Hafidh escaped assassination after gunmen opened fire on his convoy in Baghdad. One of his guards was killed and two others were wounded, police said.