Iraq buries 47 security personnel killed by IS

Iraq held a mass funeral on October 20 for 47 members of the security forces killed by the Islamic State group in 2016, after their remains were found in two mass graves south of Mosul.

Dhurgham Kamel, deputy director general of the Department of Mass Graves and the Missing, said the remains were found in the Hamam al-Alil area, about 20 kilometres south of Mosul. In Mosul, members of the security forces carried coffins draped in Iraqi flags as photos of the dead were displayed.

Many people remain missing after IS rule over parts of Iraq from 2014 to 2017. The United Nations has estimated that more than 200 graves may contain up to 12,000 people killed in mass executions.

Iraqi authorities continue to uncover graves, including sites dating from the rule of Saddam Hussein. The state-run Martyrs Foundation says about 290 mass graves have been found since 2006.