New Mass Grave Excavations in Iraq
Mass graves near Kirkuk, first discovered after US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, now being examined in joint forensics operation by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments.
New Mass Grave Excavations in Iraq
Mass graves near Kirkuk, first discovered after US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, now being examined in joint forensics operation by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments.
Newly excavated mass graves in the village of Topzawa, near Kirkuk, are grisly reminders of the former dictator Saddam Hussein’s ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kurds in the 1980s, known as Anfal, which led to the disappearance of an estimated 180,000 people.
Hundreds of mass graves, with many of the victims believed to be Kurds, have been reported since the regime was toppled in 2003. Most of the dead have so far remained unidentified.
But officials now say a campaign is underway to use high-tech forensic methods and DNA testing to identify the victims and return remains to loved ones. The Topzawa project is being heralded by authorities as the first-ever joint operation between Erbil and Baghdad to excavate Iraq’s killing fields.
