An Iraqi official says that the remains of 23 men from the Yazidi religious minority have been found in the second mass grave to be discovered in northern Iraq in a week.
The mass grave near the northwestern village of Bardiyan is the latest evidence of atrocities committed in areas held by Islamic State (IS) militants before Kurdish forces pushed them back in an ongoing offensive.
Fuad Othman, a spokesman for the Kurdish regional government, said on February 7 the mass grave was discovered on February 6.
Remains of about 27 other Yazidis were found in a bloodstained pit in the Sinjar area, further south, on February 1.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northwestern Iraq were driven back by IS militants in August, leaving minority Yazidis at the mercy of the extremist group.
The militants killed, kidnapped, enslaved, and raped Yazidis in what the UN termed an "attempt to commit genocide."
Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes have made significant gains against the militants in recent months.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
