ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The Syrian Army is unearthing a mass grave consisting of at least 40 corpses, many of them women and children. They were butchered by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the recently liberated ancient city of Palmyra. The grave was discovered by engineers and “popular defense forces” in the Masakin al-Jahizia neighborhood of the city, which lies only 500 meters from the ancient ruins, SANA reports . كشف مقبرة جماعية في تدمر تضم جثث أطفال ونساء https://t.co/jfnNsOYlWO #سوريا pic.twitter.com/dh6JqibdMi — @alalam_news (@alalam_news) April 1, 2016 So far the army has recovered 25 corpses. Among those killed by IS were three children and five females. As the excavation proceeded, 15 more corpses were unearthed – all of them women and children.   Initial examination of the bodies revealed that some of the victims had been beheaded while other had been brutally tortured before their deaths. The army continues to excavate the mass grave, fearing that more bodies may be found. Engineerin