6 Sunni men killed execution-style in Iraq

The attack near Youssifiyah, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Iraqi capital, was apparently connected to rising sectarian violence that has included the claimed abduction and execution Friday of at least 14 members of the Shiite-led security forces. But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis -- revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shiites and those who will kill to stop it.

Also Saturday, the U.S. military said it killed "key terrorists" who were using anti-aircraft artillery to fire at American military helicopters near Taji, north of Baghdad.

The men gunned down Saturday -- all relatives from the Mashhada tribe -- were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, said police 1st Lt. Haider Satar.

The victims in Youssifiyah were separated from women and children and shot dead in their home, Satar said.

Iraqi Army Capt. Ahmed al Obeidi, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, also confirmed the incident.

The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighboring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed them wrapped in blankets and lined up on the metal floor of a refrigeration chamber. At least two had their hands tied bound behind their backs.

The motive of the brutal attack could not be independently verified. But police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni insurgents after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shiites last month.

The conference was held in Mahmoudiyah in late February.

The U.S. military said it captured nine suspected insurgents in a raid Saturday morning north of Taji, a town on Baghdad's northern outskirts.

Two of the men were believed to be responsible for recruiting and helping foreign militants join the insurgency in Baghdad, the military said in a statement. The suspects were also accused of harboring al-Qaida in Iraq leaders, it said.

A day earlier, American warplanes bombed an area west of Taji, targeting militants who were armed with anti aircraft artillery, the military said in another statement Saturday. "Key terrorists were killed during the air strike," the statement said, without elaborating.