A mass grave has been opened in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where the remains of Yazidis killed during ISIS rule are believed to lie. According to Iraqi media reports, a specialized team began work on the site of the Hasfa cemetery in the morning.
The exposed bones are believed to be those of victims of ISIS, who were murdered in massacres in 2014. Officials believe that this is one of the largest mass graves discovered in the region to date. The recovered remains will be transferred to the forensic institute in Baghdad for identification.
In the summer of 2014, ISIS overran large parts of Iraq. On August 3 of that year, the jihadist militia committed genocide and femicide in the Yazidi main settlement area of Shengal, west of Mosul. Through systematic massacres, rape, torture, expulsion, enslavement of girls and women, and the forced recruitment of boys as child soldiers, the Yazidi community experienced the 74th genocide in its history.
According to recent estimates, around 10,000 people fell victim to the ISIS massacres, and more than 400,000 others were driven from their homes. Over 7,000 women and children were abducted, and around 2,500 of them are still missing today.
The mass grave in Hasfa Cemetery is just one of dozens of mass graves of Yazidis in Iraqi territory that have not yet been opened. International human rights organizations emphasize the need for international justice mechanisms to intervene to ensure that these graves are opened, the bodies are identified, and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Source: ANF News
