Mass Grave Believed to Hold Peshmerga Captives Killed by ISIS
A mass grave believed to contain the remains of Peshmerga fighters captured by ISIS is set to be exhumed in Nineveh province in the coming days, with DNA testing planned to identify the remains. More than 50 Peshmerga were captured during the war against ISIS.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - For the families of Peshmerga fighters who vanished into ISIS captivity during the darkest years of the war, the wait for answers has stretched across years of silence and uncertainty. That wait may now be nearing an end.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, on Tuesday, a specialized team is set to begin excavating a mass grave discovered within Nineveh province in the coming days — the first such site believed to contain the remains of Peshmerga fighters who were taken prisoner by the terrorist organization ISIS.
The exhumation will be carried out by expert forensic and legal teams tasked with recovering and identifying the remains. Once excavated, DNA samples are to be collected from the remains to confirm the identities of those buried there.
During the war against ISIS, more than 50 Peshmerga fighters were captured on various frontlines. While the deaths of some were reported at the time, the fate of a significant number has remained unknown — leaving their families in a prolonged state of grief and uncertainty that this development now offers hope of resolving.
A second grave already found
This is not the first such discovery in the region. On Feb. 13, 2025, Yasamin Munzer, director of the mass graves department in Iraq, announced that another mass grave had been found in Hawija, also believed to contain the remains of captured Peshmerga fighters.
The upcoming exhumation marks a significant step in the broader effort to account for the missing and bring closure to families who have spent years waiting for official word on the fate of their loved ones.