Relics of 20 tortured women, executed by IS, found in mass grave in Mosul
Iraqi authorities exhume a mass grave in Tikrit.
“Relics of 20 women were found inside a mass grave while removing debris in western Mosul,” Col. Omar al-Hajjar told DPA.
The victims, according to Hajjar, “were executed by Islamic State as they were trying to escape toward the eastern side of the city during the liberation offensives last year.”
“Security troops recovered all the bodies along with their identity cards. They were transferred to forensic medicine department in Mosul to extradite them to their relatives,” he added.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria.
Last week, MP Farah al-Siraj said 4,000 bodies are still under the debris in the Old City of Mosul.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared in July victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25,000 Islamic State militants were killed throughout the campaign. Earlier this month, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members.
Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories Islamic State had occupied.