UN: Discovery of Over 200 Mass Graves in ISIS-Controlled Areas of Northern Iraq

On Tuesday, November 6, the United Nations announced that over 200 mass graves from the three-year rule of the Islamic State over northern Iraq have been discovered. The UN report states that these mass graves are located in northern and western Iraq, including the provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, and Anbar. According to these reports, the number of individuals buried in these mass graves varies, but the UN estimates that between six thousand to twelve thousand victims of ISIS are interred within them. Iraqi officials believe that at least four thousand people are buried in one mass grave south of Mosul. The Islamic State rapidly seized large areas of northern and western Iraq in 2014. ISIS controlled Mosul in northern Iraq from 2014 to 2017, and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the caliphate in 2014 at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul. The UN, based on information provided by Iraqi officials, reported that the number of these mass graves is around 202. Jan Kubis, the UN representative in Iraq, stated that these mass graves recorded in our report are evidence of the horrific human toll, deep suffering of the people, and shocking cruelty. The UN emphasizes that the purpose of documenting these mass graves, in addition to informing the victims' families, is to build a case for war crimes in this regard. In 2014, during the capture of Tikrit, the Islamic State executed about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers taken captive from the Speicher base by shooting them in the head. The UN had previously reported that over 30,000 Iraqis were killed during the three-year rule of ISIS over northern and western Iraq. Iraq declared victory over ISIS last year.