Iraqi Forces Find 40 Bodies of Daesh Victims in Ramadi Mass Grave

Iraqi forces said they found 40 bodies in a mass grave on territory until recently held by the Daesh terrorist group.

Iraqi security forces said they found 40 bodies in a mass grave in Ramadi, the Anbar province capital recently retaken from Daesh, according to AP.

Iraq retook the city in December, after it was held by Daesh for over a year. The victims, both civilians and police officers, are believed to have been executed in May 2015, police Major Tareq Abdulkarim told AFP.

"Video footage from the site shows local security forces and a small forensics team wearing face masks and digging with shovels," AP reported.

Mass graves have been found in other areas previously occupied by Daesh, which often films its massacres and the videos freely available on the Internet.

Although airstrikes by the US-led coalition have accompanied the Iraqi military and militia advance against Daesh, a leading militia leader told Reuters on Tuesday that the strikes have been ineffective.