Eleven Years After Sinjar? Al-Khasfa Massacre Remains a Reminder of ISIS Crimes in Nineveh
Eleven Years After Sinjar? Al-Khasfa Massacre Remains a Reminder of ISIS Crimes in Nineveh
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Eleven years after the Al-Khasfa massacre, the site near Mosul remains a symbol of one of the largest mass killings committed by ISIS in Iraq, with around 2,070 victims from Nineveh reportedly killed in the atrocity.
The massacre took place on August 7, 2015, during ISIS’s control over parts of Nineveh province. A study by researchers from the University of Mosul estimated that about 2,070 people from Mosul were among those executed by the group and buried at the Al-Khasfa sinkhole.
Located about 20 kilometres south of Mosul, Al-Khasfa was used by ISIS between 2014 and 2017 as a site for concealing victims of mass executions. Local and official estimates suggest that the number of people buried there could be far higher, ranging from thousands to as many as 20,000 victims from different religious and ethnic communities.
Experts say the exact number will only be determined after the completion of excavation work and forensic examinations of the remains.
In 2025, authorities in Nineveh and judicial bodies began procedures to reopen the mass grave, including removing debris, clearing explosives and securing the site before the recovery of remains and identification of victims.
Recovered remains are being transferred to forensic authorities for DNA testing and comparison with samples provided by families of missing persons, with the aim of returning victims’ remains to their relatives.
Researchers from the University of Mosul have called for preserving the site, documenting the crimes and establishing a memorial to honour the victims. Families of those missing continue to await the results of excavation efforts, hoping to learn the fate of their relatives after years of uncertainty.
More than a decade after the massacre, Al-Khasfa remains a lasting reminder of ISIS’s crimes and the suffering of thousands of Iraqi families, as efforts continue to uncover the truth, identify victims and preserve the memory of one of the darkest chapters in Iraq’s modern history.
