Iraqi military discovers 500 bodies in 2 mass graves near Mosul

BAGHDAD, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi military investigators discovered two mass graves containing the remains of some 500 decapitated bodies near the newly-freed city of Mosul, a military statement said Friday.

The two graves were found near Badoush prison site in the northwest of Mosul, where one contained 470 bodies and the other contained 30, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a brief statement.

The bodies are believed to be prisoners executed by Islamic State (IS) militants, according to the statement.

The Badoush prison is known as the site of an IS massacre of more than 600 inmates on June 10, 2014 when the terrorist group was sweeping Iraq's northern province of Nineveh.