Iraqi National Guard stand near the bodies of killed recruits close to the city of Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad 24 October 2004. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

The bodies of 49 new Iraqi army soldiers have been found near the town of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, a police source said Sunday.

Gen. Walid al-Azzawi, commander of the Diyala provincial police, said the bodies were discovered in an area 50 km south of Baquba, he said.

They were shot dead after being ordered to lay down on the earth, he added.

Local police and Iraqi National Guard officers said 37 bodies had been recovered on Saturday, but 12 more bodies recovered on Sunday morning on a road near the village of Mandali, near the Iranian border.

A senior security official, who said on condition of anonymity that the soldiers were unarmed and wearing civilian clothes.