Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Syrian workers dig up bodies
BEIRUT — Syrian workers have exhumed more than 500 bodies from one of the largest mass graves near the northern city of Raqqa, once the capital of the Islamic State extremist group’s self-styled caliphate, and are still uncovering remains, a local official said Tuesday.
The exhumation of mass graves in and around Raqqa is being undertaken by local groups and first responders despite the concerns of international agencies hoping to preserve the bodies and evidence for possible warcrimes trials.
“We’re in a race against time. These bodies are decomposing at an exponential rate,” said Sara Kayyali of Human Rights Watch.
A devastating U.S.-backed air and ground campaign drove the Islamic State from Raqqa more than a year ago, but rescuers and recovery teams continue to locate mass graves in and around the city. At least nine graves have been found in and around Raqqa, and the bodies that have been recovered are a mix of victims of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Islamic State fighters and civilians.
The Panorama mass grave, named after the neighborhood where it was found, is one of the largest of nine mass graves discovered so far, and is believed to contain around 1,500 bodies. Hammoud al-Shawakh, a local official involved in the work, said 516 bodies believed to be of Islamic State fighters and civilians have been exhumed.
International human-rights groups say they are concerned that local groups are not getting the support they need in terms of forensic expertise and human resources.