Iraqi experts discover IS mass grave near Mosul

According to the BBC, Iraqi forensic experts are investigating a mass grave that was discovered by troops advancing towards the Islamic State-held city of Mosul.

The Iraqi military has said the grave, in the grounds of an agricultural college in the town of Hamam al-Alil, contains about 100 decapitated bodies, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Most have been reduced to skeletons, so it is unclear who the victims were, it added.

The BBC also indicated that IS militants have carried out many mass killings and have been accused of fresh atrocities in the area in recent weeks.

They are being forced to retreat to Mosul, the last major IS urban stronghold in Iraq, in an offensive by pro-government forces that began on 17 October, it explained.

Iraqi troops found the mass grave after noticing a strong smell while advancing into the town, about 30km (19 miles) south of Mosul, on Monday, the BBC concluded.