Dozens of decapitated bodies found in school near Mosul

IRBIL, Iraq – Iraqi military and police forces said Monday that they have uncovered a mass grave in a small town south of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul. Initial reports say 100 bodies were found, many of them decapitated.

Col. Abdel Rahman Khazali, a spokesman for the Iraqi federal police, said the bodies were discovered Monday at an agricultural college outside the town of Hamam al-Alil, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces over the last three days.

Khazali said medical teams were examining the bodies and trying to determine their identities. "The investigation is just beginning," he said.

The Iraqi Joint Command issued a brief statement condemning Islamic State.

"Gangs of ISIS militants continue to commit crimes against our people," the military said.

[Islamic State leader says 'no retreat' from Iraqi forces in Mosul assault]

Fighters from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, have held the city of Mosul and surrounded towns and villages for more than two years. A massive offensive by combined Iraqi forces, aided by U.S. air support, began three weeks ago.

Villagers in the surrounding area have said that Islamic State militants rounded them up at gunpoint as Iraqi forces advanced and made them walk to Hamam al-Alil. Some who later escaped said that former police and army officers were separated from them and summarily executed, as the militants grew suspicious that some were collaborating with the security forces.

While the Iraqi federal police were investigating the mass grave south of Mosul, Kurdish peshmerga forces on Monday recaptured the town of Bashiqa to the northeast.

Peshmerga commanders reported heavy fighting and repeated attacks by Islamic State suicide bombers driving toward troops in vehicles loaded with explosives.

Journalists reported seeing U.S. troops in and around Bashiqa supporting the Kurdish offensive.

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Loveday Morris and Aaso Ameen Shwan contributed to this report.