Mass grave discovered in Tal Afar, Nineveh

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, a mass grave containing unidentified victims has been uncovered in the Tal Afar district of Nineveh governorate, according to Khalil Mohsen, the district's administrator. 

The mass grave was found during the renovation of an abandoned school in the neighborhood, which has been unused since 2014. The grave was revealed when an excavator working on the school unearthed skeletons buried haphazardly.

Mohsen clarified that among the victims are children, though their identities remain unknown. “The site has been secured, and a specialized team from the Mass Graves Authority is expected to arrive on Saturday to formally open and investigate the grave.”

During its brutal occupation of northern and western Iraq from 2014 to 2017, ISIS committed extensive human rights abuses, including mass executions, which resulted in numerous mass graves across the region. 

The discovery of these graves, particularly in areas like Mosul, Sinjar, and Kirkuk, has revealed the scale of ISIS's violence. For instance, in Mosul, over 50 mass graves have been identified, containing thousands of victims, including Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims, according to a report by the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS. 

The Sinjar region alone, where ISIS targeted the Yazidi community, has uncovered multiple mass graves with estimates suggesting up to 5,000 Yazidi victims. 

These mass graves stand as a grim testament to the extensive human suffering inflicted by ISIS and highlight the ongoing need for justice and support for affected communities.