Iraqi security forces on Tuesday found the bodies of six out of 12 people who were abducted over the weekend southwest of Baghdad, an official said.

"Armed men on motorbikes" abducted the group on Sunday as they collected truffles in the Al-Nukhaib region in the desert between Najaf and Al-Anbar provinces, security forces said in a statement Monday evening.

The governor of Al-Hira district in southern Najaf province, Abdul Wahed al-Fatlawi, told AFP on Tuesday that "the bodies of six people from the same clan" had been found.

They had been shot dead.

He said the bodies had been taken to a forensic lab in Karbala province, and accused the Islamic State group of carrying out the murders.

Iraq declared victory over the jihadist organisation in late 2017 following a punishing campaign to dismantle its self-declared "caliphate" covering a third of the country.

But IS militants have continued to carry out bombings, abductions and killings.

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India resumes flights to Iraq after 30 year gap
Najaf, Iraq (AFP) Feb 14, 2019
Air India on Thursday resumed flights to Iraq after a 30 year gap, when a plane carrying Shiite pilgrims landed in the city of Najaf. "This is the first time in the last 30 years" that a plane has come from India to Iraq, said Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, India's ambassador to Iraq, at the international airport that serves the Shiite holy city. "We are very fortunate that the holy city of Najaf has been chosen as the first destination", he added, noting that attempts to restore direct air link ... read more