Mass grave of 40 Islamic State members found near Tal Afar
Representational photo.
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) The pro-government paramilitary troops have found a mass grave containing relics of Islamic State militants near Tal Afar town, west of Mosul.
“While troops were combing the center and outskirts of Tal Afar, an IS mass grave was found near the military district in the town,” Cap. Moussa Ali Joulak, an officer with al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
“The grave includes relics of 40 members, most of whom were women and foreign militants,” he added. “Some gravestones had foreign letters similar to Latin not English. Maybe they indicate names of Russian and Chechen murdered ones.”
The gravestones, according to Joulak, show that their death was in the beginning and mid this year, most probably in airstrikes not during liberation offensives of Tal Afar.
Iraqi troops were able to liberate Tal Afar on August 31. PM Haidar al-Abadi announced in a televised speech on August 20 the beginning of operations to recapture the town, which has been held by the militants since 2014, when the extremist group first emerged to proclaim its self-styled ‘caliphate’. This came after 40 days of declaring victory in Mosul, the group’s former capital, where operations lasted between October to July.
Joint troops then recaptured Aiyadhiya, located 11 KM away from Tal Afar, after invading it on August 29.