Mass grave found in northern Iraq

Mass grave found in northern Iraq

2011-09-10 02:41:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

TIKRIT (BNO NEWS) -- Authorities have discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of at least 40 people in the northern region of Iraq, local media reported on Friday. Few details were immediately available.

The Aswat al-Iraq news agency said the mass grave was discovered in the Dijail area of Salah ad Din governorate, which is north of the capital of Baghdad. The 40 victims are believed to be civilians, but their identities were not immediately known.

The mass grave was found following the confessions of two gang members, the report said, without giving more details. The victims may have been killed during the past two years but the report did not say whether or not they were killed by gangs.

Earlier this year, investigators found two large mass graves in western and south-central Iraq, containing the bodies of more than 1,700 people. The victims were killed between 1980 and 1989 under the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein, whose regime came to an end in April 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-10