ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 12 years after the Islamic State (ISIS) assault on the Yazidi heartland of Shingal (Sinjar), families of some victims say they are still waiting for answers, as delays in identifying the remains of their loved ones continue to deepen their anguish.
The 2014 attack left thousands of Yazidis killed, abducted, or displaced, and mass graves scattered across the region have since become a central focus of ongoing recovery and identification efforts. However, relatives say progress has stalled, with Baghdad suspending parts of the identification process earlier this year.
Among the most affected is the family of Aziz Jalal, 21 members of whom were abducted during the ISIS offensive. While some have since been rescued, the fate of six family members remains unknown nearly 12 years later.
“Twenty-one members of my family were taken by ISIS, and until now six of them remain in ISIS custody. I have no information about them—whether they are alive or in mass graves. We are calling on the Iraqi government and our representatives in parliament to open these grave sites so we can know the fate of our loved ones,” he told Rudaw.
According to official figures, 561 bodies have been received by the forensic department in Baghdad. However, many families say they have been waiting for more than three years for the identification of remains and the return of their relatives.
Faisal Barkat, another relative of victims, said the process has been slow and remains incomplete.
“For several years we have been requesting the opening of mass graves. After they were opened and the remains were transferred to Baghdad’s forensic medicine department, we asked for faster identification. But years have passed, and the remains are still there. The process has stalled. We urge the government and officials to return these remains from Baghdad,” he said.
An Iraqi parliament representative from the Yazidi community said efforts are underway to restart stalled work.
“The budget of the forensic department is four billion dinars, but it has not been spent for two years, which is why the work has stopped. I will meet with the finance minister, and we will try to secure funding to restart the mass graves process,” Khalid Sido said.
Out of 95 mass graves identified in Shingal, 77 have been excavated so far. In total, 857 bodies have been recovered and transferred to forensic medicine authorities. Of those, 256 victims have been identified and returned to their families, Rudaw has learned.
Despite these efforts, hundreds of families remain in limbo, still searching for answers more than a decade after the atrocities that devastated Shingal.
Adla Bakir contributed to this article.
