Unofficial de-Baathification process targets Sunnis in Basra

The assassins have targeted mostly men who are thought to have been connected to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, which was dominated by Sunni Muslims. About 950 people have been killed since Saddam's regime was toppled in April 2003, according to Majid al Sari, the Defense Ministry adviser for the southern region. About half of the dead, al Sari said, are Sunnis, who make up about 30 percent of the city's population.

As a result, many Sunni families are selling their homes and migrating to other provinces and countries.

They aren't the only victims.

"Even among those Baathists who have been killed there were Shiites," al Sari said. "Daily we find bodies, and 90 percent of them are political crimes."

Many of the killings are attributed to men in police patrol cars who kidnap and kill or commit drive-by shootings.

On Wednesday, American freelance journalist Steven Vincent joined the list of those murdered in the city. He was abducted after leaving a money exchange shop and later was found shot to death at the side of a highway.

Vincent had published an opinion article in Sunday's New York Times charging that Shiite militiamen had infiltrated Basra's police. He quoted a police lieutenant who said a small number of police officers were behind Basra's murders.

Brigadier Chris Hughes, the British commander of the 12th Mechanized Brigade in Basra, confirmed the charges in an interview with Knight Ridder, saying there were "murderers" among the police. There have been some 80 killings since May, he said.

"The chief of police is not directing that type of activity. Neither is he able to stop it," Hughes said. "Quite a lot of them come under the umbrella of unofficial de-Baathification."

The chief of police, Gen. Hassan al Swade, confirmed to Knight Ridder that police patrol cars have been involved in the killings but denied that police carried out the murders.

Many people said they were afraid to discuss which group might be responsible.

Two militia groups have a strong presence in the city. One is the Badr Brigade, the former military wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Shiite political group that plays a leading role in Iraq's governing coalition. The Badr Brigade has denied accusations from Sunni groups that it's killing Sunnis in the Baghdad area. The other militia group is the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al Swade said the Badr Brigade and Mahdi Army shared intelligence with the police, confirming the close links between his force and Shiite religious groups. Some former Badr Brigade members have been absorbed into the police force.

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