Iraq begins work on ISIS mass grave thought to contain thousands

Iraq begins work on ISIS mass grave thought to contain thousands
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Iraq has commenced excavation of a mass grave near Mosul, believed to contain thousands of victims of the ISIS/Daesh group, Arab News reported. The project, led by director Ahmed Assadi, began its first phase on August 10 at the Khasfa site, where surface-level digging has uncovered human skulls. Khasfa, near Mosul—the former Daesh “caliphate” capital—may be Iraq’s largest mass grave, according to a 2018 UN report.

Estimates suggest at least 4,000 bodies are buried there, possibly more, including executed soldiers, Yazidi minorities, and Mosul residents. Excavation is challenging due to underground sulfur water, which makes the soil porous and may have damaged remains, complicating DNA identification.

The sinkhole site measures approximately 150 meters deep and 110 meters wide. Iraqi authorities describe it as the location of one of Daesh’s worst massacres, where 280 people, many interior ministry employees, were executed in a single day in 2016.

Daesh’s 2014 territorial gains in Iraq and Syria involved widespread abuses and over 200 mass graves, potentially holding up to 12,000 bodies. Iraq also continues uncovering graves from Saddam Hussein’s era.