Iraqi police and special forces have allegedly murdered 182 former pilots and 416 military officers who fought in Saddam Hussein's war against Iran.
Fearing death squads, at least 836 pilots and high-ranking military officials have fled to neighboring Arab states, the Sunday Times of London reported.
Many assassinations have been blamed on militias from the Shiite Badr Brigade, which is trained and financed by Iran and now forms the backbone of Iraq's police and special forces.
The organized nature of the attacks has reinforced claims that the Iranian-backed government is behind the attacks.
A 57-year-old man, who declined to be named, described how he and two former pilots were kidnapped last month when 30 men raided a Baghdad mosque during afternoon prayers. The man said he and his companions were beaten, abused and tortured before the pilots were separated from the others.
A day later, the pilots' bodies were found. One pilot's hands had been cut off, his head had bullet and ax wounds, and a hole had been drilled into his neck.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
