Two mass graves containing over 100 Ezidi bodies discovered in Shingal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Two separate graves containing the bodies of over 100 Yezidi’s (Ezidi) executed by the Islamic State (IS) were discovered in the town of Sinjar (Shingal), local sources told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday.

The sources in Shingal, west of Mosul, said the two graves contained the remains of 140 Ezidi civilians, including many women and children.

“After the discovery, specialized teams arrived at the site of the two graves and began DNA testing to find the identities of the victims,” one source stated.

The first grave was found in the Al-Jazira district and the second was discovered in the village of Qabusi, an area south of Shingal home to Ezidis.

Another source said one of the graves included the bodies of 20 women and dozens of children killed by IS, but did not provide any further information.

Following their emergence in 2014, the extremist group invaded the Ezidi-populated Shingal and committed one of the most egregious massacres in recent history, killing and kidnapping thousands.

Peshmerga forces, backed by the US-led coalition, liberated the town from IS the following year.

Mass graves containing the remains of the inhabitants of Shingal, whose owners were killed in cold blood by IS militants, are regularly discovered.

On Oct. 16, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias attacked Kurdish troops and took control of disputed areas between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, including Kirkuk and Shingal.

Last month, local authorities in the town found a mass grave containing the remains of 73 Ezidis, including women and children.

According to United Nations estimates, there are about 3,000 Ezidis who remain unaccounted for.