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Iraq IS: Scores found dead in mass graves in Anbar Iraq IS: Scores found dead in mass graves in Anbar
(about 2 hours later)
Scores of bodies of Sunni Muslim tribesmen apparently killed by Islamic State (IS) militants have been found in mass graves in western Iraq.Scores of bodies of Sunni Muslim tribesmen apparently killed by Islamic State (IS) militants have been found in mass graves in western Iraq.
The graves that were found in the province of Anbar may contain between 80 and 220 bodies, reports suggest.The graves that were found in the province of Anbar may contain between 80 and 220 bodies, reports suggest.
Many of the dead belong to the Al Bu Nimr tribe, which joined Iraq's Shia-dominated government in fighting IS.Many of the dead belong to the Al Bu Nimr tribe, which joined Iraq's Shia-dominated government in fighting IS.
It has also emerged that the group may have killed 600 prisoners at a jail in Mosul they seized in June.It has also emerged that the group may have killed 600 prisoners at a jail in Mosul they seized in June.
The inmates were forced to kneel along the edge of a ravine before being shot, the campaign group Human Rights Watch said.The inmates were forced to kneel along the edge of a ravine before being shot, the campaign group Human Rights Watch said.
The BBC's Orla Guerin reports from Baghdad that killings like those in Anbar are the hallmark of IS. Analysis: Orla Guerin, BBC News, Baghdad
Their aim is not just to capture territory but to spread terror into their opponents, she reports. These kind of brutal killings are very much a trademark of Islamic State.
It is clear they are trying to send a very loud message to any of the Sunni tribes who might be thinking of joining the fight against them that if they do, this can be the kind of retaliation they can expect, our correspondent says. One of its aims is not just to capture territory but to spread terror into its opponents.
There is a feeling among tribal leaders that they have not been given the back-up needed from the Iraqi government to fight IS, she adds. It is clear it is trying to send a very loud message to any of the Sunni tribes who might be thinking of joining the fight against it that, if they do, this can be the kind of retaliation they can expect to face.
The US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, said the killing of Sunni tribesmen in Iraq by Islamic State fighters was the brutal "reality of what we're dealing with" in the conflict. Anbar province is a key battleground. It is the approach to Baghdad - this is where Islamic State has been trying to push forwards towards the capital.
And certainly the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army can't afford to be losing any of the allies that they have in this fight.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the killing of Sunni tribesmen in Iraq by Islamic State fighters was the brutal "reality of what we're dealing with" in the conflict.
The US military chief, Gen Martin Dempsey, said American advisers should be sent to Anbar province, but that first Baghdad must arm local Sunni tribes.
"We need to expand the 'train, advise and assist' mission into Anbar province, but the precondition for that is that the government of Iraq is willing to arm the tribes," AFP quoted him as saying.
IS militants have killed hundreds of people in the large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria they control.IS militants have killed hundreds of people in the large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria they control.