More recently, Sunni civilians have borne the brunt of American counterinsurgency drives like the one in Falluja, which have left residential areas devastated and thousands homeless.

The capital Baghdad was the scene of a number of bombings, most of them targeting Sunni civilians.

Indeed, there is mounting evidence that the Shiite-dominated security services have engaged in widespread abductions, killings and torture of Sunni civilians.

One Sunni group taking testimony from families in Baghdad said it had documented the death or disappearance of 700 Sunni civilians in the past four months.

Shiite mobs rampaged through Baghdad, burning Sunni mosques and killing Sunni civilians.

Sunni terrorists are thought to be responsible, and now it seems that Sunni civilians are paying the price.

Shia militiamen killed 47 Sunni civilians and left their bodies in a ditch near Baghdad on Thursday.

Shiite militias have been responding in kind, and massacres of Sunni civilians are no longer isolated events.

Mobs of mostly Shiite men killed Sunni civilians.

Estimated 40 Sunni civilians were killed by Shia militiamen.