Iraqi Federal Police have found a mass grave containing the bodies of people killed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Kirkuk.
The grave in the village of Dawood Aluka in the Riyadh district contains the remains of around 50 people, said officials. The bodies will be subjected to DNA tests for identification. Iraqi officials also announced that the location might have been an execution site of citizens when ISIS controlled the area.
The United Nations’ Mission in Iraq report documented 202 mass graves in 2018 in areas held by ISIS. It was also reported that between 6,000 and 12,000 victims were buried in the regions of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Anbar governorates. At least 30,000 civilians, the report confirmed, have been recorded as having been killed as a result of the conflict with ISIS in Iraq between the beginning of 2014 and the end of 2017.
ISIS had gained full control of Mosul, Saladin and Anbar provinces and some territories in Diyala and Kirkuk in 2014. Iraq declared military victory over ISIS in late 2017. However, the threat of ISIS remains, as a number of analysts have concluded, since members of the group are still reportedly maintaining sleeper cells.