29 bodies of ISIS victims found in Syria's Manbij

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a statement on Sunday, the Democratic Civil Administration in the northern Syrian Arab-majority city of Manbij confirmed the discovery of 29 bodies in a mass grave on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, three skeletons buried by ISIS were found near the Manbij Hotel in the middle of the city, which ISIS used as a prison when it occupied the northwestern city. The hotel is near the Manbij civilian administration building. 

Later, a total of 29 bodies of victims aged between 18 and 60 were found in the grave. All of them had been shot in the head, had had their hands tied and were blindfolded.

ISIS controlled the town from 2014 until 2016, after which the Manbij Military Council liberated the city from ISIS with US backing.

In the statement, the administration called on the international community to hold states responsible for supporting ISIS and blamed Turkey for the group's rise.

The administration also accused Turkey of allowing thousands of ISIS fighters to cross its border.

"We once again call on the international community to correct their wrong policies," it said, "to hold the states that give all kinds of support to terrorist organizations accountable."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has previously underlined its contributions to the US-led coalition against ISIS and has stated that Turkey has "a broad array of mechanisms to disrupt or stop the flow of foreign fighters."

Nevertheless, in recent years, several ISIS leaders have been killed in Turkish-occupied territories in Syria in US strikes.

On July 12, the Pentagon confirmed that two senior ISIS officials were targeted in Turkish-occupied Afrin, including Maher al-Agal, a top leader.

In recent months, Turkey has repeatedly threatened to attack Manbij and Tal Rifaat and capture them from the SDF forces.

Read More: Turkey ready to attack Tal Rifaat and Manbij: Erdogan

However, Russia, the United States, and other stakeholders in the Syrian conflict have opposed Ankara's plans.