Mass grave of army, security personnel found south of Iraq's Hawijah

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), locally known as Hashd al-Shaabi, and members of the Federal Police have discovered a mass grave south of Hawijah.

The discovery was made on the outskirts of the recently-liberated al-Zarban Village. The grave contained the remains of dozens of army and police conscripts, Iraqi News reported.

The Iraqi military command announced Friday the second phase of the Hawija offensive after successfully liberating a large chunk of territory in the districts to the north of this area.

Hawija is the Daesh’s last stronghold in central Iraq; its proximity to the oil rich city of Baiji makes this operation a top priority for the Iraqi military command.

Over 500 Daesh terrorists were killed and more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase of offensives in southwest of Kirkuk.

EA