Thousands of victims of "Islamic State" terror have been found in more than 200 mass graves in Iraq. The identities of many those killed may never be discovered.
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More than 200 mass graves containing thousands of bodies have been found in areas formerly controlled by the "Islamic State" (IS) group in Iraq, the UN said in a report on Tuesday.
The size of 202 mass graves found ranged from containing the bodies of eight victims to one site south of Mosul holding thousands of bodies, UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Human Rights Office said.
The report estimates that between 6,000 and 12,000 victims were buried at the sites spread across Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah al‐Din and Anbar governorates.
"They contain the remains of thousands of victims, the majority of whom may never be identified," the report said, noting that more mass graves are likely to be found.
Victims include women, children, elderly, disabled persons, Iraqi security forces and some foreign workers.
Mosul: Deadly legacy of the 'Islamic State'
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“The mass grave sites documented in our report are a testament to harrowing human loss, profound suffering and shocking cruelty," said Special Representative for Iraq of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Kubis. "Determining the circumstances surrounding the significant loss of life will be an important step in the mourning process for families and their journey to secure their rights to truth and justice."
The grave sites likely contain "critical forensic material" to identify victims and assist any prosecutions, the UN said.
At least 30,000 civilians have been recorded killed as a result of the conflict with IS in Iraq between the beginning of 2014 and the end of 2017.
During its three year reign of terror persons opposed to the group's ideology and rule were targeted, including minorities such as Christians and Yazidis. The jihadist group set up courts that executed countless people through such brutal means as public beheadings, burning people alive or throwing persons off buildings.
The plight of the Yazidi minority in Iraq
For centuries, the Yazidi community has been targeted by its neighbors for its religious beliefs. In 2014, it faced its most tragic experience in what the UN has described as a genocide committed by the "Islamic State."
For hundreds of years, the Yazidi community has been persecuted for its religious views, an amalgamation of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam. Throughout their history, they have been killed, forced to convert to other religions and even taken as slaves. While the Kurdish-speaking minority community in northern Iraq had been attacked before, 2014 marked a tragic turning point in history.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMA Wire/D. Honl
Genocide
In 2014, the "Islamic State" militant group launched a blitzkrieg campaign across Iraq and Syria, capturing large swathes of territory and laying waste to areas such as Mount Sinjar, the ancestral homeland of the Yazidis. More than 5,000 people were killed and up to 10,000 kidnapped, many of them children. The event was described by the UN as a genocide.
The "Islamic State" abducted hundreds of girls and women and enslaved them in the wake of the assault. The militant group created a database of all the women, including pictures of them, to document who bought them and to ensure they do not escape. While dozens of women were able to escape, hundreds more remain missing.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Alleruzzo
Missing
Thousands of men, women and children remain missing. Critics have accused Iraqi authorities of doing little to find those who were abducted after Baghdad declared military victory over the militant group in December 2017. Family members fear that up to 3,000 Yazidis will remain indefinitely unaccounted for.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMA Wire/G. Romero
Scattered
In the wake of the "Islamic State" militant group's systematic assault on the Yazidis, many have fled to neighboring countries, Europe and beyond. While some families have found refuge outside their country, others have been forced to stay in camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. Although the UN is helping to rebuild houses in their ancestral homeland, many still believe IS poses a threat to their existence.
IS has largely been pushed back across Iraq and Syria but remains a long-term guerilla threat with between20,000 and 30,000 fighters in desert and rural areas, the UN said in August.