By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Gunmen stopped cars in western Baghdad, grabbing people from the street and separating Sunni Arabs from the rest, killing at least 37 people, police said, in a dramatic escalation of sectarian violence in the country.
The attack by Shi'ite militiamen in the dangerous Jihad neighborhood was apparently in retaliation for the car bombing the night before of a local Shi'ite mosque.
Police Lt. Maitham Abdul-Razzaq said 37 bodies were taken to hospitals and police were searching for more victims reportedly left dumped in the streets. He also said US and Iraqi forces had sealed off the area.