ISIS War Crimes: 15,000 Dead In 72 Mass Graves Documented In Survey, And They Are Just Getting Started

ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) members will undoubtedly face war crimes charges following their tenure as a territorial entity in Iraq and Syria, and an extensive survey conducted by the Associated Press that found 72 mass graves containing over 15,000 bodies would help in the prosecution of those brought up on charges. Although there are several governing bodies that have declared the genocidal nature of ISIS towards certain groups, including the vicious persecution of Shiite Muslims, Christians, the Yazidis and the Alawites, without documentation as to the specific crimes committed bringing the leaders that ordered the atrocities to justice will be a difficult matter. Unfortunately for the victims and their families, the survey, the largest conducted thus far, shows the horrifying lengths to which ISIS was (and is) willing to go to expand and protect their so-called Islamic Caliphate.

The Associated Press reported this week that it had conducted an extensive survey, the most comprehensive so far, using exclusive interviews, photos, and research to document the existence of 72 mass graves in Syria and Iraq that can be attributed to ISIS. The number of bodies in the mass graves range from three to a horrifying few thousand. It is estimated that the total body count will top 15,000.

The survey found 17 mass graves in Syria, one of which included hundreds of members of the same tribe; a mass killing that all but erased the tribe when ISIS moved through the area on its way to creating the Islamic State, which declared its sovereignty in June 2014.

One of the largest mass graves in Iraq was discovered via satellite photography by AllSource Analysis. In the photos, a long, snake-like grave parallels a ravine at Badoush Prison where it is believed some 600 prisoners are buried, massacred by their ISIS captors in June 2014. To date, no one but members of ISIS has seen the area where the slaughter took place. One man, a witness who survived by playing dead when prisoners were being killed, told Human Rights Watch that the prisoners at the Shiite prison had been separated by religion by the extremists. He was part of the Shiite contingent that was loaded into trucks and taken to the ravine and summarily machine-gunned. After the slaughter, the bodies were subsequently covered with dirt by earth movers. He and 14 others detailed the atrocity to Human Rights Watch.

Sirwan Jalal, the director of Iraqi Kurdistan’s agency in charge of mass graves, said ISIS doesn’t even bother to hide the crimes they commit.

“They don’t even try to hide their crimes. They are beheading them, shooting them, running them over in cars, all kinds of killing techniques, and they don’t even try to hide it.”

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This was made apparent to the world when ISIS started posting videos of mass killings on the internet. The Islamic State even used the videos to proselytize and recruit. Who the militants killed seemed to discriminate only if seen through the lens of the group’s extremism. For instance, how to reconcile the necessity of killing hundreds of children and capturing the act on video, as was reported by Breaking 911.

But the most horrific mass killings, if any can be labeled “most,” might be the intended genocide of the Yazidi Kurds.

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As noted by the Associated Press, the Islamic State group “made clear its intention to wipe out the Yazidi community. In an issue of its online English-language magazine Dabiq, it scolded Muslims for allowing the Yazidis to continue existing, calling their ancient religion a form of paganism. It quoted Quranic verses to justify killing the Yazidis unless they become Muslim.”

It is as yet unknown just how many mass graves will ultimately be found. With some, by the time they are documented, much of the usable forensic evidence will have been lost.

And as for a more extensive account of war crimes that could and might be leveled against ISIS leaders, the sometimes filmed and/or photographed executions of civilians and prisoners (civil, military, terrorists, and insurgents, including members of their own organization) will likely be used. But where video and photo imagery is not available, the accounts of eyewitnesses will probably suffice, given that Islamic State courts tend to sentence many to death in public settings.

For example, as the Inquisitr has reported, ISIS burned alive 19 Yazidi girls in June for refusing to “marry” their fighters, shot and killed 12 women who dared to protest ISIS rule in July, lowered six living individuals into vats of burning tar for allegedly collaborating with the enemy in August, and, also in August, took a chainsaw and cut nine young men in half for allegedly being part of a resistance faction against ISIS in Mosul, Iraq.

[Image via Shutterstock]