Iraq: 200 mass graves containing 12,000 bodies discovered 

United Nations: United Nations said Islamic State (IS) has left behind more than 200 mass graves that could contain as many as 12,000 bodies in Iraq.

Iraqi authorities have exhumed the remains of 85 IS fighters and their relatives from a mass grave in the northern city of Mosul.

Workers unearthed bones and skulls, placing them in black bags for transportation to the forensic department.

It is the first announcement of a mass grave of IS fighters killed during the 2016-2017 battle to recapture Mosul, the extremist group’s former stronghold.

IS seized large swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, declaring a “caliphate” and killing thousands there before Baghdad declared victory in 2017.

Mosul site was located behind a mosque in a residential area in the Al-Rifai district, Anzi. DNA samples would be taken to identify the bodies.

Nineveh’s civil defence said that while digging began as the authorities were previously aware of the site’s location.

Iraq continues to discover mass graves not only from the IS period but also from the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2003.