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Mass graves in Iraq

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Human remains found in at a mass grave site in Iraqi Kurdistan, July 15, 2005

Mass graves in Iraq are characterized as unmarked sites containing at least six bodies. Some can be identified by mounds of earth piled above the ground or as deep pits that appear to have been filled. Some older graves are more difficult to identify, having been covered by vegetation and debris over time. Sites have been discovered in all regions of the country and contain members of every major religious and ethnic group in Iraq as well as foreign nationals, including Kuwaitis and Saudis[1].


Background

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Several entities and groups have deployed mass graves to cover up the Extrajudicial killing of civilians, enemy combatants, and rival factions in various civil conflicts. Under the rule of Saddam Hussein, mass graves were used to bury Iranian soldiers who were killed on Iraqi territory. It was also used during the same time period on Kurds in the north of Iraq during the Anfal Campaign[2].It was then widely used to bury civilians, protesters, defecators, and armed resistance groups that participated in the 1991 Iraqi uprisings [3]

Mass graves continued to be used following the fall of the regime in 2003. They were used by various factions that committed mass murder during the Iraqi Civil War [4] They were then used by ISIS as they massacred civilians during the time where they controlled Iraqi territory. It is estimated that 200 mass graves are in the city of Mosul alone due to the group's actions[5].

List of Mass graves unearthed in Iraq

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Following the fall of the Baath regime, efforts were made by both Iraqi authorities and international organizations to uncover mass graves in Iraq[6]. Several US Senate committee investigations have been held to examine this topic.[7]


List of Mass graves in Iraq
Remains Found Location Year found Timefrae which grave was dug Notes
113 Samawah 2005 1980-1988 Victims were kurds most of whom were women, children and teenagers[8]
22 Karbala 2008 2007 Victims were Shepherds who were reported missing in 2007 [9]
492 Al Diwaniyah 2011 1988 Victims were kurds, likely part of the Anfal campaign[10]
800 Anbar 2011 1991

"Through the remains of clothes and other things, we believe they were from different sectors of Iraqi society. Some trenches included women and children, others included soldiers with military uniforms or tracksuits," Possibly from the failed uprising in 1991

3,115 Al-Mahawil 2003 1991 A collection of three mass graves in the southern part of Iraq. This happened during the 1991 uprising where most of the victims were likely Shia'a Muslims[11].
10 Al-Mahawil 2019 2014 The remains of ten people who were abducted and murdered in 2015. The identity of the victims has never been published[12].
12 Fallujah 2007 2006 Most of the victims have no IDs, but officials have said they were likely abducted and murdered by insurgents, one was a paramedic[13].
Example Example Example Example Example
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The 2014 film The Blue Man,[14] which is related to The New York Times article titled "Uncovering Iraq's Horrors in Desert Graves"[15] written by John F. Burns, is about The Blue Man mass grave located in Al-Mahawil.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/cpa-iraq/human_rights/Mass_Graves.htm
  2. ^ https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_iraq-unearths-mass-graves-believed-contain-kurds-slain-1987-88/6172578.html
  3. ^ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/13/iraqis-haunted-by-disappearances-after-saddam-hussein-fall
  4. ^ https://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/19/iraq.torture.complex/index.html?iref=nextin
  5. ^ https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/28644-From-Saddam-to-IS:-Iraq-still-exhuming-mass-graves
  6. ^ https://icmp.int/press-releases/icmp-supports-iraqi-authorities-in-uncovering-mass-grave-near-badoush-prison-linked-to-2014-daesh-crimes/
  7. ^ Saddam Hussein killer file Archived 2007-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Knickmeyer, Ellen (2005-04-30). "113 Kurds Are Found In Mass Grave". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  9. ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/economy/iraq-finds-22-bodies-dumped-in-mass-grave-idUSKAM542092/
  10. ^ https://www.alalam.ir/news/629061/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82
  11. ^ https://www.hrw.org/report/2003/05/28/mass-graves-al-mahawil/truth-uncovered
  12. ^ https://www.nbanews.net/arabiciraq/35465
  13. ^ https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna22086524
  14. ^ "The Blue Man (2014) - IMDb". IMDb.
  15. ^ Burns, John F. (June 6, 2006). "Uncovering Iraq's Horrors in Desert Graves". The New York Times.
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