17 bodies found in new ISIS mass grave in Iraq

Shafaq News/ A mass grave was discovered in Al-Hawija district, southwest Kirkuk, a security official announced on Thursday.

According to the official, the grave contains the remains of 17 individuals executed by ISIS during its control of parts of Kirkuk. Authorities have initiated the exhumation process, with forensic teams working to identify the victims and facilitate the return of their remains to their families.

Mass graves across Iraq serve as a reminder of the atrocities committed by ISIS between 2014 and 2017. Many of these sites—primarily located in Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Saladin—contain the remains of thousands of victims, including Yazidis, Shia Muslims, and other minority groups.

The United Nations has documented over 200 mass graves in the country, with estimates suggesting that up to 12,000 individuals may have been executed during this period. Furthermore, some of these burial sites date back to earlier periods of conflict, including acts attributed to al-Qaeda.

Current estimates indicate that Iraq could have as many as 400,000 missing persons, with the actual number of mass graves potentially even higher.