38 Islamic State fighters found dead in mass grave in Mosul
Iraqi firefighters look for bodies buried under the rubble, of civilians who were killed after an air strike against Islamic State triggered a massive explosion in Mosul. REUTERS/Stringer
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi military force discovered on Monday a mass grave containing bodies of Islamic State militants in western Mosul, security sources told Al Ekhbariya TV channel.
“Not less that 34 Islamic State fighters were found dead inside a mass grave in Al-Aiadiya district in western Mosul,” the sources said.
They are believed to be murdered by IS leaders after they rejected to fight against security forces during a military operation for the liberation of Tel Afar district in Nineveh, the sources noted.
Security troops ran into tens of mass graves at regions recaptured from IS. More than 70 graves, including Yazidis killed by IS, were also found.
In August, 2017, former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced that Nineveh province has been “fully liberated” from Islamic State, after the district of Tal Afar was re-captured.
The Iraqi government had launched an operation to retake Tal Afar, involving some 50,000 personnel from the army, air force, federal police, special forces and the Shia Muslim-led paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces.
Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition, was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group.