Mosul / NINA / - Report by Zeina Al-Bajari... After more than a year of arduous work, the Martyrs Foundation, through the Mass Graves Department, completed excavation work in the Alu Antar Cemetery north of Tal Afar District, where 180 complete bodies and 54 human remains were recovered.

This cemetery is one of the largest and most horrific graves left behind by ISIS in Tal Afar, second only to "Al-Khasfa" in terms of the scale of the atrocities committed by the terrorist organization against innocents. After five consecutive stages of excavation, the cemetery today reveals the extent of the suffering endured by Nineveh Governorate under the shadow of terrorist crimes and opens the door for grieving families to learn the fate of their missing relatives.

Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that "the Martyrs Foundation began its work in the Alu Antar cemetery more than a year ago, where 180 complete bodies and 54 body parts were recovered over five excavation phases. This cemetery, which witnessed a bloody massacre at the hands of ISIS, is among the most difficult mass graves to be dealt with in the region. Excavation operations were conducted according to strict standards to ensure the identification of the largest possible number of victims."

Al-Dakhil added, "The Alu Antar cemetery is one of the most difficult graves to be dealt with after the sinkhole. This site witnessed an indescribable massacre, and we continue to work to uncover the identities of the victims through forensic medicine. I hope this cemetery will become a witness to ISIS's crimes and be used as evidence in international courts to prosecute these criminals."

Al-Dakhil explains that, "After the excavation was completed, the collected evidence was sent to the forensic medicine department to identify the victims. These procedures are part of a long process that seeks to give every victim their right to justice and to close the files of the missing who have long awaited knowledge of the fate of their loved ones."

Civil activist Khaled Al-Maamari points to the need to document these crimes internationally, emphasizing, "These crimes must be documented in international courts to prosecute ISIS and terrorist gangs, especially since Nineveh has sacrificed many of its people at the hands of these extremist groups."

For his part, Khalil Mohsen, the mayor of Tal Afar, confirmed that a memorial will be erected at the cemetery site to honor the souls of the victims, adding, "We will continue to remember these crimes so that they are not forgotten, and this cemetery will remain a witness to the pure blood shed by ISIS."

In turn, Salem Al-Afri, a Tal Afar resident who lost his brother in the Alu Antar cemetery, said, "I am eagerly awaiting the forensic report. We are very hopeful that the investigations will reveal my brother's fate and achieve justice for our family and all the families who lost their loved ones in this place."

The Alu Antar cemetery is considered one of the most prominent mass grave sites left behind by ISIS in the region. Hundreds of victims, including women and children, were killed by the group in this cemetery north of Tal Afar. The cemetery is further evidence of the atrocities committed by ISIS in its attempt to destroy local communities. /End





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