At Least 300 Former Iraqi Policemen Executed by Islamic State Near Mosul

AP Photo/ Felipe Dana

BELGRADE - Militants of the Islamic State (ISIL/ISIL) jihadist group killed at least 300 former Iraqi police officers and buried them southeast of Mosul, according to an international human rights organization.

"This is another piece of evidence of the horrific mass murder by ISIS of former law enforcement officers in and around Mosul," Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said as quoted in the watchdog's statement.

According to HRW, citing witnesses, the execution of former officers captured by extremists took place late in October while the Iraqi Security Forces discovered the mass grave some 20 miles away from Mosul on November 7.

Mosul has been occupied by the Daesh, an organization outlawed in Russia, since 2014. On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi launched the operation to retake the city. The...