Iraq pledges support for al-Khasfa mass grave investigation
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, the Iraqi government pledged to assist efforts to identify victims of the al-Khasfa mass grave in Nineveh and ensure their rights are protected.
In a statement, Government Spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi said new evidence of ISIS crimes continues to emerge years after the group’s defeat, noting that the al-Khasfa site contains the remains of thousands of Iraqis from different communities. He affirmed Baghdad’s backing for legal and technical measures to identify the dead, aid families, and secure international recognition of the crime.
Excavations at the site began on August 17 under the supervision of Nineveh Governor Abdul Qader al-Dakhil and Appeals Court Chief Judge Raed al-Muslih, with officials and specialists present.
Known locally as al-Khafsa, the natural sinkhole lies 20 kilometers south of Mosul and served as a killing ground during ISIS’s control of the city from 2014 to 2017. Estimates put the number of victims at around 3,000, though some reports suggest much higher.
Despite years of appeals from families and rights groups, the site remained sealed after Mosul’s liberation in 2017. It is considered one of the world’s largest mass graves and continues to attract pressure for urgent action to reveal its full scale and provide answers to relatives of the missing.
