View of the recently uncovered mass grave site near the village of Topzawa, south of Kirkuk, where hundreds of unmarked graves contain remains believed to include victims of the 1988 Anfal campaign.
Kirkuk
Mass grave discovered near of Topzawa believed to contain remains of Anfal campaign victims
KIRKUK — A mass grave discovered on the outskirts of the village of Topzawa, south of Kirkuk, is believed to contain the remains of hundreds of people, including victims of the 1988 Anfal campaign, according to activist Heman Haseeb.
“Search operations for this grave continued for three months in the southern outskirts of Kirkuk,” Haseeb told 964media. “Activists in the field of mass graves took part until we found this site.”
The search began after reports surfaced that the Topzawa camp had served as a detention site for Kurdish families during the Anfal campaign, a genocide carried out by Iraq’s Baath regime from February to September 1988. “Dozens died from torture, hunger, and disease, and were buried here,” Haseeb said.
Human Rights Watch estimates between 50,000 and 100,000 Kurds were killed in the campaign, though Kurdish sources place the death toll as high as 182,000.
During the search, the team discovered official documents sent from the camp administration to the forensic medicine department listing names of deceased individuals. “We found a copy of an official letter sent from the camp administration to the forensic medicine department, listing the names of several deceased,” Haseeb said.
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Another document, dated August 16, 1988, was addressed from the forensic department to Kirkuk’s health directorate, stating that the morgue’s refrigerators were full and requesting a solution. “The governor of Kirkuk decided to bury the bodies in coordination with the Kirkuk municipality,” he added.
The bodies were interred within the boundaries of Topzawa, in what is now referred to as the municipal cemetery — a site known to contain thousands of unmarked graves. “We’re not saying the cemetery contains the remains of all Anfal victims, but the documents confirm at least 100 remains date back to 1988. The numbers increased after that,” Haseeb said.
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The cemetery spans nearly 100 dunams and lies outside the village. None of the graves have headstones.
A formal request has been submitted to the Mass Graves Department of the Martyrs Foundation to begin excavation and open a legal investigation in coordination with the forensic department, Kirkuk municipality, and the health directorate.
“We know the municipality has maps and codes related to burial sites. These help uncover the truth. We’re waiting for a response from the Department of Mass Grave Protection,” Haseeb said.
