Baghdad: A mass grave discovered in northeast
Iraq contains dozens of bodies, mostly of women and children
believed killed during a crackdown against Kurds by former
dictator Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi official said on Saturday.
The grave was originally found nearly two years ago west
of Kirkuk, though its discovery was only made public this week
after forensic pathologists began examining it, said Majid
Abdullah Karim, an official with the Iraqi Ministry of Human
Rights.
Investigators initially put the number of bodies found at
185, though Karim said the number could be "significantly
less" based on the number of bones and skulls recovered
yesterday by pathologists.
Karim did not give an exact number, estimating only
"dozens."
Mass graves across Iraq have been turning up with some
frequency since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam's
regime.
The latest discovery was made at a former military
detention camp used by Saddam's forces in Tubzama, just west
of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometres) north of Baghdad, said
Karim.
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The grave was discovered after people reported seeing
bones and bits of clothing at the camp, he added.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 15:26