(MENAFN) After having been abducted earlier by Daesh terrorists near the city of Baquba in Iraq's eastern Diyala province, at least seven civilians were executed, according to a local security source.

"Daesh gunmen set up a fake security checkpoint on the road linking Baquba to the nearby town of Buhriz," Diyala Police Chief Habib al-Shammari told reporters.

"They abducted seven civilians who had been traveling in a minibus," he said.

"Security forces later found their bodies; they appear to have been killed execution-style," al-Shammari added.

Security forces, the police officer said, are now in the process of searching for the perpetrators.

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