Thousands of Dead Remain Under Mosul Rubble; 46 Killed in Iraq

Residents of Mosul are waiting for their loved ones to be exhumed from residences that became temporary tombs during operations to remove the Islamic State militants. About 300 locations are listed as potential gravesites. Some homes were turned instantaneously into cemeteries by artillery fire or airstrikes, while other locations became tombs when strapped families were forces to bury their dead in private and public gardens. In any case, the Iraqi government is still keeping any casualty estimates a secret. Some estimates count over 40,000 dead.

Security forces continue advancing in Tal Afar and have recaptured about 27 of the surrounding villages in the area.

At least 46 people were killed and 10 were wounded in recent violence:

Gunmen in Kirkuk killed a security official and wounded one of his guards.

Three militiamen were wounded in a bombing in Jurf al-Nasr (Jurf al-Sakhar).

A gunman wounded two militiamen in Iskandariya.

In Baghdad, gunfire left two soldiers with injuries.

Airstrikes on Tal Afar killed 37 militants.

Peshmerga killed three suicide bombers in Gul Muhammad. Two of the Peshmerga members were wounded.

At least three militants were killed in airstrikes against trucks in Qaim.

In Abu Ghraib, two suicide bombers were killed.

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.