Mass grave composed of 40 Islamic State members found in Ramadi
An ISIS mass grave in Iraq. File Photo .
In a brief press release issued on Friday, the intelligence department said troops “found a mass grave composed of 40 IS bodies in al-Boubali region in Anbar.”
Hundreds of IS fighters and senior leaders were killed since Iraqi troops, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary forces, launched an offensive in October to retake the city of Mosul. Since the launch of the campaign, dozens of mass graves of civilians and security members executed by IS have been discovered.
Earlier this month, the Joint Operations Command said more than 16,000 IS fighters were killed since start of Mosul operations.
In December 2015, the JOC announced recapturing of Ramadi and raising the Iraqi flag above governmental buildings, six months after being held by IS members.
Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate.
Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have also regularly pounded IS locations in the province. The Iraqi government is expected to aim at those strongholds once the Mosul battle is concluded.