ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Iraqi forces have discovered a mass grave northwest of Fallujah believed to contain the bodies of 400 soldiers and civilians. The burial site was found in the town of Saqlawiya by security forces who were clearing mines in the area. “The mass grave contains about 400 bodies of members of the military,” a colonel in the Anbar police told AFP anonymously as he is not authorized to speak with the press. “There are also some civilians.” Most of the victims appeared to have been executed, shot in the head. The bodies, believed to be mainly Iraqi soldiers killed by the Islamic State in late 2014 and early 2015, are being removed from the burial site for identification. “The mass grave also includes civilians executed by Daesh on various charges such as spying or breaking the organization’s rules,” said a member of the Anbar provincial council, Rajeh Barakat, to AFP. The city of Fallujah fell to Islamic State in January 2014. Iraqi army forces, joined by Shiite militias, launched an operation to liberate the city two weeks ago. They have been working to retake smaller towns around the city, including Saqlawiya, and completely encircle the city. That stage of the operation is almost complete. With the retaking of the southern, mainly farmland, neighbourhood of Naymiyah on Sunday, forces have nearly encircled the city. The campaign has been slow moving as the Islamic State is fiercely defending the city, planting IEDs. Iraqi forces are also proceeding with caution in order to protect the 50,000 civilians who are believed to still reside in Fallujah.
