Iraqi Forces Find Mass Grave on Approach to Mosul

Iraqi forces on their approach into the ISIS-held city of Mosul discovered a mass grave containing about 100 bodies, another sign of the bloody rule the group has exerted over the country’s second-largest city. The grave, found in an agricultural town, contains decapitated bodies and Iraqi forensic experts do not yet know if they are security forces or civilians, according to the BBC. Iraqi forces face a tough fight as they work to move further inside the city, and ISIS on Tuesday fought back by abducting almost 300 former Iraqi Security Forces members and forcing 1,500 families to retreat with them, the United Nations reported, according to Reuters. Coalition aircraft continue to hammer ISIS targets in the city, with five strikes on Monday destroying tactical units, fighting positions, vehicles, and tunnel systems, according to US Central Command. US aircraft in the area now include Army Apache attack helicopters, which have been used “with significant effect” in Mosul, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday.