Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
More than 30 mass graves linked to ISIS were excavated in western Iraq’s al-Anbar province, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
Forensic specialists are collecting DNA samples from recovered remains in the Akkaz area of al-Saqlawiyah district. The samples will be transferred to central laboratories for identification procedures.
The group left behind dozens of mass graves across areas it once controlled, where thousands of people —mostly perceived opponents— were summarily executed and buried in clandestine sites. A 2018 report by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) documented at least 202 mass grave sites associated with ISIS across Nineveh, Kirkuk, Saladin, and al-Anbar provinces. UN estimates indicate that the number of victims buried in these graves ranges between 6,000 and 12,000.
Read more: HRW urges Iraq to intensify mass grave exhumations