Mass graves containing at least 400 suspected Islamic State group victims have been found near the former militant bastion of Hawija in northern Iraq, the regional governor said Saturday.
“Not less than 400 people were executed,” he said, adding that some were clad in the uniform of prisoners condemned to death while others wore civilian clothing.
As government troops have advanced across Iraq they have uncovered dozens of mass graves holding hundreds of bodies in areas that fell under their brutal rule.
The burial pits near Hawija were discovered “thanks to witness accounts from local residents” given to the Iraqi military, General Mortada al Luwaibi said.
Saad Abbas, a farmer from the area, told AFP that during the three years of IS control the group’s fighters could be seen “driving around in cars with their prisoners”.
“They would shoot them and then throw them to the ground or burn their bodies,” Abbas said.
