Iraq begins excavation at suspected ISIL mass grave site near Mosul

Iraqi authorities have started work at what could be one of the country’s largest mass grave sites, linked to the years when ISIL (ISIS) controlled large parts of Iraq. The excavation is taking place at al-Khafsa, a massive sinkhole south of Mosul, where many locals believe thousands of victims were buried during ISIL’s rule between 2014 and 2017.

The operation is being carried out by the Iraqi judiciary, forensic experts, the Martyrs Foundation, and the directorate of mass graves. Ahmad Qusay al-Asady, who leads the excavation department at the Martyrs Foundation, said work began on August 9 at the request of Nineveh province. For now, investigators are collecting visible human remains and surface evidence, while preparing for a full exhumation that will require international technical support.

Al-Khafsa is a particularly difficult site. Officials say the sinkhole is about 150 metres deep and filled with sulfur water and unexploded ordnance, making it dangerous for teams to work there. There are also concerns that water may have damaged the remains, complicating DNA identification.

Unofficial testimonies from witnesses and families suggest that the site could contain the remains of at least 4,000 people, possibly more. Many of them are believed to be Iraqi soldiers, police officers, and members of minority communities, including Yazidis. Witness accounts say ISIL fighters often transported people by bus to the site, where many were executed.

Authorities are now building a database and plan to collect DNA samples from relatives of the missing.

If confirmed, the site could represent the largest mass grave in modern Iraqi history, said lawyer Rabah Nouri Attiyah, who has worked on dozens of missing persons cases in Nineveh.

The excavation highlights how Iraq is still uncovering painful chapters of its recent past. Alongside ISIL-era atrocities, the country continues to investigate mass graves from earlier periods, including the rule of Saddam Hussein.