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Sickening photos and video have emerged showing Iraqi forces recovering decapitated bodies from a mass grave that was discovered after troops recaptured territory from ISIS jihadists.

Iraqi officials said the remains of about 100 beheaded civilians were found as forces advanced into an area held by ISIS near Mosul, which the terror group has brutally controlled for two years.

Decomposing human remains, rubbish, torn bits of clothing and a child's plush toy were unearthed near an agricultural college in Hammam al-Alil.

Forensic investigators are combing through the site to gather evidence and ultimately determine how the people buried there were killed.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Getty)

Most of the corpses had been buried some time ago and are believed to be the first horrific evidence of ISIS’s murder sprees in its stronghold.

Most appeared to have rotted down to skeletons.

Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Military Command, said his troops found the bodies of "citizens with their heads cut off".

The bodies were discovered on Monday during an ongoing operation to retake Mosul, ISIS's last stronghold in Iraq, which is now in its fourth week.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Human Rights, said the agricultural college is where the UN reported the execution of 50 police officers in October.

Mass executions and beheadings have been common during ISIS's reign of terror in parts of Iraq and Syria.

(Image: Getty)

ISIS fighters carried out several massacres as they stormed through northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, often recording them in video nasties.

The UN warned two weeks ago the armed group appeared to be have killed dozens of civilians since Iraqi forces launched the offensive against Mosul.

Aid organizations, local officials and Mosul residents have claimed that ISIS executed people in Hammam al-Alil and barracks nearby over the course of a week.

Many were killed as they were suspected of planning rebellions in and around Mosul to aid the advancing troops.

News of the mass grave came as it emerged British RAF crews have killed dozens of ISIS fighters defending Mosul in just the past few days.

(Image: Getty)

Last week RAF Typhoon and Tornado bombers smashed ISIS sniper and mortar positions and even trucks carrying reinforcements to the frontline north east and south east of Mosul.

On all of the occasions they used taregted hi-tech precision Paveway bombs.

And as Iraqi troops advanced on ISIS positions to the south east of Mosul an unmanned RAF Reaper drone opened fire on an enemy mortar teams hiding amongst trees.

Desperate to wipe out the bombers before they targeted Iraqi troops with deadly aerial missiles the Reaper unleashed all four of its Hellfire missiles on the ISIS team.

On another attack two RAF Tornados launched Brimstone missiles to destroy an armed vehicle and a large truck-bomb heading towards coalition troops.

Meanwhile the UN's human rights organisation confirmed today ISIS fighters have abducted 295 former Iraqi Security Forces members near Mosul and forced 1,500 families to flee with them from Hammam al-Alil, around 20 miles south of Mosul.

(Image: Getty)

The abductions took place last week as Iraqi government forces and Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite militias backed by US-led air strikes pushed an offensive to recapture Mosul from ISIS, Reuters reported.

Ms Shamdasani said: "People forcibly moved or abducted, it appears, are either intended to be used as human shields or - depending on their perceived affiliations - killed."

About 100 former officers were abducted around midnight on November 3 from Mawaly village, about 12 miles west of Mosul.

A further 195 were abducted between November 1 and 4 from villages in Tal Afar district.

Shamdasani said the abducted families were being taken from their town to Mosul airport, adding: "The fate of these civilians is unknown for the moment."

The UN also said at least 30 sheikhs were abducted in Sinjar district on November 2 or 3 and taken to an unknown location.

It was trying to verify a report that 18 of them had been killed.