Overview

• Excavation work began on August 9 under the Ninawa governor’s order, launching a 15-day phase limited to visible remains and surface evidence.
• The Al-Chasfa pit measures about 150 by 110 meters and is estimated to contain thousands of victims from IS’s 2014 campaign, including Iraqi security forces and Yazidi civilians.
• Following the initial digs, teams will create a DNA database and collect samples from families of suspected victims to aid future identification.
• Hazardous site conditions—sulfurous water and unexploded ordnance—mean full exhumations must await specialist forensic units.
• The Martyrs Foundation, Directorate for Mass Graves, local judiciary and forensic investigators are coordinating documentation and identification efforts.