Christians mass grave found in Mosul not for Islamic State victims: Official

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An official from Nineveh province has denied news that the Christian victims found in a mass grave, recently found in west of Mosul, were killed by Islamic State members.

Speaking to Baghdad Today website, Dureid Hikmat, deputy governor of Nineveh for Christians affairs, said, “the mass grave that was found in Mosul is not for victims killed by Islamic State, but for people who were killed more than 30 years ago.”

Hikmat added that the buried people were Christians.

On Thursday, news reports said Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) along with security troops in Halila region, near Badush in west of Mosul, ran into a mass grave of Christians who were kidnapped from the region.

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.

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.

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. Abadi announced, in December, full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members.