Mass graves of 400 suspected IS victims found in Iraq

The bodies of 400 suspected victims of IS have been found in mass graves in northern Iraq, an Iraqi news website is reporting.

(File Image) Civilians wave as Iraqi military forces pass through the city of Hawija in Iraq in October, 2017.

Mass graves containing "hundreds" of suspected victims of the IS militant group have been found at a former military base in northern Iraq, an Iraqi news website is reporting.

Some 400 bodies were found at al-Bakara base near Hawija, acting Kirkuk governor Rakan Saeed said on Saturday, in remarks carried by the Iraqinews.com website.

Saeed urged the Iraqi government and United Nations to identify the victims.

Operations were launched in late September to liberate Hawija from IS.

In October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced the town had been freed.

Iraqi troops discovered a mass grave composed of relics of 50 army and police personnel in Hawija in October.

Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights has asked for international assistance regarding the handling of mass graves, capabilities and expertise in exhuming the belongings, taking DNA samples and identifying victims' families.