Iraqi troops find bodies after workers abducted

BAGHDAD, June 22 (Reuters) - Iraqi soldiers said on Thursday they had found several bodies in a violent area north of Baghdad where factory workers were abducted by gunmen a day earlier.

Police and government officials offered contradictory accounts of how the abductions took place and how many people were involved.

Iraq's Industry and Minerals Ministry said initial police reports that 80 or more workers had been seized were inaccurate. Only 30 had been abducted, it said, most of whom had already been freed. But police in the area insisted on Thursday that their higher figure was correct.

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An Iraqi army officer guarding the factory said his unit had found "several" bodies in the area. It wasn't clear if the bodies were those of the kidnapped employees.

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Fellow employees were too afraid to speak to the media on Thursday.