Excavation of a large mass grave in Iraq has begun

• Experts estimate that the mass grave could contain thousands of bodies.
• The start of the excavation requires international support.
• DNA samples are being collected for the identification of victims.

Iraqi officials have begun the excavation, which, according to previous assessments, is a mass grave left by the terrorist group "Islamic State" during its activities in the region nearly a decade ago.

Local authorities are cooperating with judicial bodies, forensic experts, the Iraqi Human Rights Fund, and the mass grave directorate to conduct work on-site in al-Haafis, south of the northern city of Mosul, as reported by the Iraqi state information agency.

Ahmad Kousya al-Asadi, head of the mass grave excavation department of the Human Rights Fund, stated that his team began work in al-Haafis on September 9 at the request of the governor of Nineveh province, Abdulqadir al-Dakhil.

At the initial stage of the operation, the focus is on collecting visible human remains and surface evidence, preparing the groundwork for further excavation, which, according to officials, requires international support.

After the initial 15 days of work, the Fund's team in Mosul will create a database and begin collecting DNA samples from families of identified victims.

Al-Asadi emphasized that processing the laboratory and database of DNA should be a priority for ensuring proper identification. Further excavations will only continue after a specialized security detail is secured for navigation in the unsecured territory, including the surrounding water and unmarked borders.

According to experts, in al-Haafis there could be thousands of bodies, although the exact numbers have yet to be confirmed. In Iraq and Syria, mass graves have already been identified containing thousands of bodies, likely belonging to victims of this extremist group.

At its peak, the "Islamic State" controlled territory that was twice the size of Great Britain and proclaimed its jurisdiction. It targeted civilians and also abducted and enslaved thousands of women from the Yazidi community.

The group was defeated in Iraq in July 2017, when Iraqi forces captured the city of Mosul. In June 2017, Kurdish forces achieved a significant victory, capturing the Syrian city of Raqqa, which had been de facto the capital of the "Islamic State." The official military operation against the "Islamic State" concluded in late 2019.

Rabih Nuri Attia, a lawyer who has worked on more than 70 cases of missing persons, asserts that al-Haafis is "the largest mass grave in modern Iraqi history." Although al-Asadi notes that while it cannot yet be confirmed if this is the largest grave, it is certainly among the largest in terms of territorial size.

Attia reported that nearly 70% of human remains in al-Haafis likely belong to servicemen of the Iraqi army and police, as well as victims from the Yazidi community.

He also noted that there is evidence from eyewitnesses who saw how "Islamic State" militants transported people by buses and executed them, many of whom were unarmed.

Tags: Middle East/Crime