12,000 bodies in Iraq ‘evidence of atrocities’

MORE than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 bodies have been found so far in Iraq that could hold vital evidence of war crimes by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the United Nations in Iraq (Unami) said yesterday.

The political mission and its human rights office said they had documented 202 mass graves in parts of western and northern Iraq controlled by Isil from 2014 to 2017. Even more sites could be uncovered in the months to come, the report said.

“The mass grave sites are a testament to harrowing human loss, profound suffering and shocking cruelty,” said Jan Kubis, a UN representative in Iraq. The UN said revealing the truth behind the graves would be “critical to ensuring a full reckoning for the atrocities committed”.