MAHMUDIYAH, Oct 3 (AFP) - The unidentified bodies of a decapitated man and a woman who died of bullet wounds have been found south of the Iraqi capital, hospital officials said on Sunday.
"The decapitated man and the woman who was shot dead were brought to the hospital last night" by the Iraqi national guard, said a hospital official in the town of Mahmudiyah, 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the capital.
"They had no identity papers on them," he said, adding that their nationality could not be determined.
The hospital said the woman had been found wearing jewellery, in an apparent sign that it was not a case of common crime.
An Iraqi national guard spokesman had said earlier that the two victims were Iraqis and their bodies were found Saturday night on the road near Yussifiyah, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad.
The area around Yussifiyah and the neighbouring towns of Mahmudiyah and Latifiyah are known to Baghdadis as the "triangle of death."
They are the site of almost daily attacks on US military convoys, Iraqi security forces, truckers suspected of transporting goods for US forces and foreigners traveling the main north-south roads which traverse the area.