| Iraqi forces have uncovered a mass grave containing 22 bodies near a vast lake northwest of Baghdad, the US military said on Tuesday. It said the grave was discovered on Saturday near Thar Thar lake, which spans the central-west provinces of Anbar and Salaheddin, during an operation by US and Iraqi forces targeting Al Qaeda hideouts. “The Iraqi army and provincial security forces are investigating the mass grave to determine the identities of the deceased and the causes of death for notification of their families,” the military statement said. US and Iraqi forces have been cracking down in central and western regions of Iraq where militants chased out of Baghdad appear to have taken refuge in outlying towns and villages. |