Remains of 14 people found near Mosul
The Iraqi Security Media Cell (ISMC) revealed on Thursday that at least 14 people’s bodies were found in a mass grave in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The ISMC mentioned in a statement that an Iraqi citizen discovered human remains at site in Tal Afar, where a school is being constructed, before notifying local authorities, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The burial site dates back to the time when ISIS terrorists controlled the area between 2014 and 2017, according to security forces.
A preliminary assessment showed that these remains belonged to 14 victims of ISIS criminals who were buried at an earlier time.
The remains would be transferred to the relevant authorities for the identification procedure, according to the statement.
UN experts said in a report issued last August that the ISIS group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former strongholds in Syria and Iraq, according to the AP.
The report mentioned that during the first half of 2023, the threat posed by ISIS remained mostly high in conflict zones and low in non-conflict areas.
The report that is directed to the UN Security Council illustrated that the overall situation is dynamic, and despite significant losses in the group’s leadership and reduced activity in Syria and Iraq, the risk of its resurgence remains.
Iraq announced in late 2017 the liberation of all its territories from the grip of ISIS, but the authorities are constantly launching security operations to pursue remnants of the terrorist group that carry out attacks from time to time in the country.
