News - Middle East: Iraq has found a mass grave containing the remains of victims of the Daesh terrorists during the time period they ruled over the region from 2014 to 2017.

An Iraqi official said on Sunday that authorities had removed the remains of bodies from a large pit believed to contain Daesh victims.

Located in northern Iraq about 70 kilometers west of the former Daesh stronghold of Mosul, the Alo Antar hole, a natural desert feature turned into a mass grave by Daesh, is in the city of Tal Afar in the Nineveh Governorate.

The number of bodies dumped into the pit is yet unknown, but efforts are underway to remove more remains.

"We have removed the remains of 139 persons and also human body parts," said Dia Karim, director of the mass graves department at the Foundation of Martyrs, a government institution tasked with finding mass graves and identifying remains.

"They include women and men," Karim said, adding that "according to testimonies, the victims date back to Daesh rule" in the region, or before, when Al-Qaeda was present in the area.

According to the testimonies gathered by Karim, "the victims are Yazidis, Shia Turkmen and security forces personnel from Mosul.