Iraqi investigators carried out an initial examination on Tuesday (November 8th) of a mass grave site discovered in an area south of Mosul that was recently retaken from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), AFP reported.
Iraqi security forces announced the discovery of the site in the Hamam al-Alil area the day before, after retaking it as part of the operation to recapture Mosul , the last ISIL-held Iraqi city.
A dirt barrier borders the site, where body parts and bones are visible among rubbish that has been dumped there.
The investigators, some of whom wore face masks because of the smell, took notes at the grave site.
"Today, the team conducted an initial examination," said Mohammed Taher al-Tamimi, head of the operations room in the general secretariat of the cabinet, which he said is co-ordinating and supporting efforts to investigate the site.
Tamimi described the killings at the site as a "massacre", and said the victims had been blindfolded and had their hands and feet bound.
Some bodies were missing their heads, while those of others had been broken into pieces, he said.
