SHINGAL, Iraq — Iraqi and Kurdish teams have exhumed two mass graves in the Yezidi homeland of the Shingal region of Nineveh province.
The victims that lie in the graves were killed by Islamic State (ISIS) militants six years ago.
"My cousins and relatives are all in the mass grave. Our brothers and fathers are in the mass grave too. We want to take all of them out of there. I want nothing else," Nuam Ilyas, a relative of some of the victims said on Saturday.
"Whenever a mass grave is exhumed, we feel as if it is the day of the Kocho mass murder. We want the remnants of our relatives uncovered and given to us. Because, as you know, each day [of exhumation] is full of sorrow for us," said Taliya Naif, another mourning relative.
Teams from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have jointly exhumed two mass graves in 17 days, with United Nations supervision. The teams expect to exhume remnants of 80 victims in Solagh, and 50 in Kocho.
One mass grave was already exhumed in March 2019, in Kocho.
There are an estimated 82 mass graves around Shingal, where over 1,000 Yezidis are believed to be buried, according to lead of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) mass grave team Sirwan Jalal.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
