2 Mass Graves of Iraq's Izadi Minority Found near Mosul: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two mass graves of at least 18 members of Iraq's Izadi minority, thousands of whom have been killed and kidnapped by Daesh (ISIL or ISIS), have been discovered as security forces fight to dislodge the terrorists from Mosul, a local official said.
Kurdish Peshmarge forces found the grave near the Shababit junction in northwestern Iraq while scouting the area. It contained bones and identity cards that appeared to have been covered over with sandy earth by a bulldozer, Reuters reported.
Daesh systematically killed, captured and enslaved thousands of Izadis in the summer of 2014 as they overran the Sinjar area, where many of them lived. United Nations investigators have said that constitutes genocide.
The mayor of Sinjar, Mahma Xelil, said the latest discovery brought the number of Izadi mass graves found so far to 29, estimating the total would rise to more than 40 as the militants are driven back further.
The Office of Kidnapped Affairs in Duhok says about 3,500 Izadis are believed to still live in areas controlled by Daesh, many of them women and children.
