Religious vigilantes have killed at least 40 women this year in the southern Iraqi city of Basra because of how they dressed, their mutilated bodies found with notes warning against "violating Islamic teachings," the police chief said Sunday.

Maj. Gen. Jalil Khalaf blamed sectarian groups that he said were trying to impose a strict interpretation of Islam. They dispatch patrols of motorbikes or unlicensed cars with tinted windows to accost women not wearing traditional dress and head scarves, he added…

In September, the headless bodies of a woman and her 6-year-old son were among those found, he said. A total of 40 deaths were reported this year. "We believe the number of murdered women is much higher, as cases go unreported by their families who fear reprisal from extremists," he said.