Collaboration with IOM
Iraq to establish memorials at ISIS mass grave sites in Nineveh
NEWSROOM – The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has announced on Monday its intention to establish miniature memorials at mass grave sites in the Sinjar and Tal Afar districts of Nineveh governorate to honor the victims of the Islamic State terror group. The General Directorate for Survivors’ Affairs, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, is spearheading this initiative.
In a statement, the ministry detailed their plan to involve artists, sculptors, and other interested parties, inviting submissions for the memorial designs. The selected model will be awarded a financial prize by the IOM.
In August 2014, ISIS launched a brutal campaign against the Yazidis in the Sinjar area, characterized by mass killings, forced conversions, and widespread sexual violence—an act described by the United Nations as genocide.
Thousands of Yazidi men and older women were executed, while women and girls faced abduction, sexual slavery, forced marriages, and rape. Young boys were often forcibly recruited as child soldiers, and Yazidis were compelled to convert to Islam under the threat of death.
Since May of this year, authorities in western Nineveh’s Tal Afar have started excavations at the “Alu Antar” mass grave, located about 7 kilometers north of the town center.
The grave is believed to contain the remains of victims killed by ISIS between 2014 and 2017. During the ISIS occupation of Tal Afar, approximately 1,200 residents were abducted, including 460 women and girls and 120 children. Despite the liberation of the region, the fate of many remains unknown, with only 52 individuals rescued to date.
Remains of 41 Yazidis buried in four villages across Sinjar
Excavations begin at mass grave in Tal Afar, victims of ISIS atrocities unearthed
Iraq recovers remains of 139 likely ISIS victims from mass grave
