One beheaded body found in Iraq 'of Western origin'

Three decapitated bodies have been discovered over the past two days in and around the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a hospital coroner said today.

Two of the corpses were those of Iraqis while the third remains unidentified, said Riyadh Mohammed of the city’s Al-Jomhuria Hospital.

Two bodies were found in different parts of Mosul, 225 miles north-west of Baghdad, and the third was discovered outside the city, he said.

No other details were immediately available.

Grisly decapitations have become more common recently in Iraq, with kidnappers severing the heads of some foreign and Iraqi hostages.

Over the past two days the headless body of a police officer, still in his uniform, was discovered in the area of Kirkuk, north of Baghdad.

Another headless corpse of a man was found south of Baghdad with authorities initially saying he appeared to be of Western origin.