Iraq: Mass grave found near Daesh-held Mosul

By Ali Shekhu and Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

A mass grave has been found in an area south of the Daesh-held city of Mosul, a top Iraqi security official said on Monday.

“The grave, located in the district of Hamam al-Alil, contains the remains of 100 people, including civilians, who were killed months ago by Daesh terrorists,” said Brig. Gen. Ali al-Lami in a statement read out by Iraqi state television.

"Some of the bodies were decapitated," he added.

Al-Lami also said, "The remains belong to civilians who refused to collaborate with the Daesh terrorist group, including members of the Iraqi security forces.”

On Saturday the army announced the recapture of Hammam al-Alil, one of Daesh’s last strongholds south of Mosul, soon after storming it.

On Oct. 18, the Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, launched a wide-ranging operation aimed at retaking Mosul, which Daesh overran – along with additional territory in northern and western Iraq – in mid-2014.

Recent months have seen the Iraqi army retake much territory, especially on the outskirts of Mosul – the regional capital of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province – and in the western province of Anbar.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 22,000 people have been displaced since the Mosul campaign began three weeks ago.