Iraq discovers a new mass grave in Samawa, potential victims probably Kurds: HR group

Shafaq News/ A new mass grave has been discovered west of the Iraqi city of Samawa, the human rights office in al-Muthanna reported on Sunday.

Majid al-Jiashi, the director of the office, told Shafaq News Agency that the grave has not yet been fully excavated but that coordinates have been established by the human rights department of the federal defense ministry.

The exact number of bodies remains unknown, although two were previously discovered at the site.

"The mass grave is awaiting the completion of full administrative procedures before it can be opened systematically and legally," al-Jiashi said.

He added that authorities had previously found a mass grave containing the bodies of Kurdish citizens near the new site.

"The number of victims in the new mass grave is unknown, and it is unclear whether they were Kurds or Kuwaiti prisoners, according to some security reports about the grave," he continued.

The discovery of mass graves brings back the memory of years of violence that has plagued Iraq for decades. The country is still grappling with the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion, the subsequent sectarian conflict, and ISIS control over swathes of its area between 2014 and 2017.