Iraqi forces find child soldiers, mass graves in the push toward Mosul

Iraqi soldiers making their way toward Mosul, the last major city controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq, are in the process of taking the final town on the city's southern outskirts on Saturday. Hammam al-Alil is defended by about 70 ISIS fighters, some of whom attempted to escape while others are fighting back with attempted suicide bombings.

The UN Refugee Agency said Friday it has received reports that ISIS is conscripting all boys aged 9 or older in Hammam al-Alil to bolster defenses. ISIS has executed dozens of Hammam al-Alil residents and is using others as human shields.

The Iraqi forces' progress toward Mosul more broadly has uncovered fresh horrors of ISIS occupation. Buzzfeed News reports that numerous mass graves have been discovered housing unidentified bodies, many believed to be Kurdish fighters. "We don't know who they are — maybe Yazidis, anybody," said a local man named Mohsin. "Anyone we saw, we just buried."

For more on the Mosul campaign, read the The Week's rundown of everything you need to know.