Baghdad: Security forces found a mass grave in the Iraqi city of Ramadi containing the remains of at least 18 people killed by the so-called Islamic State or Daesh.

Ramadi was recaptured at the end of last month from Daesh, which overran large parts of Iraq in 2014 and has repeatedly carried out mass killings and other atrocities in areas it controls.

“So far, we have removed 18 bodies, including five members of the police, and work is continuing to remove the remaining victims,” police Major Tareq Abdul Karim said.

The mass grave in the Al Jamiya area of central Ramadi, which was found on Monday, is “expected to contain the bodies of 40 victims”, Abdul Karim said.

He added that the victims were from Ramadi and were executed by Daesh in May 2015, when the terrorists succeeded in overrunning the city.

Doctor Shakir Ahmed Al Haj said that medical staff were working to disinter the victims and that “dozens” of bodies had been removed from the grave so far, while the work was still ongoing.

And Sabah Karhout, the head of the Al Anbar provincial council, confirmed that the grave was discovered and said the victims had either been shot or beheaded.

Militants had held shifting parts of Al Anbar capital Ramadi since early 2014, but Daesh only succeeded in overrunning the entirety of the city last May.

Iraqi forces recaptured Ramadi after months of fighting during which surrounding areas were retaken from the militants, setting up the final push into the city centre.

Daesh has suffered major losses since the height of its territorial control in 2014, but still controls significant areas of Al Anbar and Nineveh province to its north, as well as in neighbouring Syria.