Iraqi authorities say gunmen in military uniforms have stormed houses in a village in southern Baghdad, killing 25 people.
Reuters reports the attack occurred in a Sunni Muslim enclave. Police say the gunmen handcuffed the victims and shot them in the head.
A security source says 10 to 15 gunmen in pickup trucks targeted the victims because they were members of either the Iraqi security forces or the Sons of Iraq, a group of former Sunni insurgents who joined the Iraqi government and US forces to fight al-Qaeda militants.
At least seven people were reportedly left alive after the slaughter, their hands tied behind their backs.
The authorities say they have arrested 24 people and sealed off the area to search for other suspects.
