Mass grave of 100 Kurdish women and children discovered in Iraq

MUTHANNA PROVINCE,— Iraqi authorities have begun exhuming the remains of approximately 100 Kurdish women and children believed to have been executed during the 1980s under the regime of Saddam Hussein, according to officials familiar with the investigation.

The mass grave was uncovered in Tal al-Shaikhia, a site in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province, located about 10 to 12 miles from the nearest main road, a journalist with Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Forensic teams started excavations earlier this month, though the grave was initially discovered in 2019, said Diaa Karim, head of Iraq’s Mass Graves Directorate. This marks the second grave unearthed at the site.

“After removing the topsoil, we found remains that appear to belong to women and children dressed in traditional Kurdish spring clothing,” Karim said in a statement Wednesday.

He estimated the grave contains at least 100 victims, likely originating from Kalar in northern Sulaimani province, part of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. “Efforts to exhume all the bodies are ongoing, and the final count could change,” he added.

The victims are thought to be part of the Anfal campaign, a brutal military operation carried out by Saddam’s government between 1987 and 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war.

A mass grave of 100 Kurdish women and children likely originating from Kalar in northern Sulaimani province discovered in Muthanna province, Iraq, December 2024. Photo: Rudaw

The campaign is believed to have killed approximately 180,000 Kurds through bombings, mass executions, and chemical attacks. Saddam’s government specifically targeted Kurdish civilians, labeling them as enemies.

Ahmed Qusai, who leads Iraq’s excavation team for mass graves, said the work has been challenging due to the condition of the remains. “The bodies are entangled. Some mothers were holding their infants when they were killed,” he explained.

Durgham Kamel, another member of the excavation team, noted that a second grave was found nearby, close to the infamous Nugrat al-Salman prison, a detention site used by Saddam’s regime to hold dissidents.

Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003 during a U.S.-led invasion and was executed three years later after being convicted of genocide in connection with the Anfal campaign.

Iraq’s government estimates that 1.3 million people were disappeared or killed due to atrocities and rights violations under his rule.

Karim described the grim details of the site, noting evidence that some victims were shot at close range, while others may have been buried alive. “We found no bullet marks on some remains,” he said, underscoring the atrocities committed during that era.

Iraqi officials and forensic teams continue their work at the site as they strive to uncover the full extent of the mass killings and identify the victims. The exhumations are part of a broader effort to document crimes committed under Saddam Hussein and provide closure for the families of the disappeared.

(With files from AFP)