Mass grave excavation begins near Tel Afar

NINEVEH – Iraqi authorities and the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD) have initiated the exhumation of the “Alu Antar” mass grave north of Tel Afar district, the area’s mayor Khalil Mohsen told 964media.

The site, situated seven kilometers north of Tel Afar, in western Nineveh province, contains the remains of hundreds of citizens killed by the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group in 2014 and subsequent years.

Mohsen informed 964media that excavations followed comprehensive preparations, including fencing the site, setting up ladders, and establishing procedures for lifting the remains.

The grave site, containing hundreds of bodies of Turkmen and Yazidi citizens—women, children, and men—was utilized by ISIS militants to dispose of those they murdered after seizing the area in the summer of 2014.

The predominantly Shia-populated Tel Afar and the neighboring Yazidi-majority Sinjar were the primary targets of ISIS atrocities after 2014 when the group seized control of the region.

During the ISIS occupation of Tel Afar, approximately 1,200 citizens, including 460 women and girls and 120 children, were kidnapped, with the whereabouts of many remaining unknown. Following the area’s liberation, 52 individuals were rescued. In March 2023, blood samples were collected from the relatives of the missing to compare with the discovered remains, aiming to identify the victims.

“For the first time, we are bringing in experts with experience in handling wildlife because the grave site contains a significant number of snakes, insects, and reptiles,” a spokesperson for the Martyrs Foundation, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

UNITAD, an independent accountability mechanism authorized by the U.N. Security Council, was established to assist local efforts in holding ISIS accountable by collecting evidence of its genocide and war crimes in Iraq. The team’s creation was a direct response to a request for assistance by the Iraqi government, which recently petitioned the U.N. Security Council to end the mission’s mandate.