Huge Mass Grave Used by Islamic State Uncovered Near Mosul

The Islamic State killed and then dumped the bodies of hundreds, if not thousands, of Iraqi men and women into a sinkhole known as “Khafsa” outside Mosul in 2014 and 2015, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, March 22.

Based on the testimony of local shepherds and other witnesses, the NGO believes that the mass killings occurred weekly at the Khafsa sinkhole over a two-year period. The natural sinkhole is now surrounded by landmines and impossible to inspect. Locals said that they regularly heard screams and gunshots in the area, with one saying the water from a nearby well became polluted with human remains.

Human Rights Watch said Khafsa may be the largest mass grave uncovered in Syria and Iraq, and called on Iraqi authorities to cordon off the area and begin careful examinations, so that the families of victims might have their loved ones’ remains returned to them.

At time of publication, Iraqi forces had advanced into Mosul, with the Iraqi Federal Police saying their forces had moved 100 meters along the river bank and 200 meters in the Bab al-Bayd area. The continued efforts to clear IS fighters from the area is focused on the retaking of the historic Great Mosque of al-Nuri. The mosque is an important target for Iraqi forces: It was there that the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a speech in 2014 declaring the establishment of an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and appointing himself as the Caliph or “ruler” of the proclaimed state.

Islamic State fighters have had a vice grip on Mosul since 2014. Credit: Human Rights Watch via Storyful