MOSUL, Iraq
In northern Iraq, efforts continue in the district of Tal Afar to recover what remains of bodies from a mass grave believed to contain remains of ethnic Turkmen killed by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group between 2014-2017.
Located west of Mosul, the "well of hell" is over 100 meters (328 feet) deep and known locally as Allav Anter. It was used by Daesh/ISIS to dispose of executed individuals, with thousands of members of the region's Turkmen community, missing for years, feared to be among the victims.
In an initiative spearheaded by Turkmen groups and institutions, the Iraqi government has begun recovering bodies from the area, seized 10 years ago by Daesh/ISIS.
Turhan Ketene, president of the Turkmeneli Cooperation and Culture Foundation, told Anadolu that over 1,000 Turkmen from Tal Afar were thrown into the well by Daesh/ISIS terrorists, which they reported to authorities six years ago as a mass grave.
Tal Afar District Governor Halil Muhsin estimated that over 1,500 bodies might be in the well. The exhumation process, ongoing for a month and a half, has uncovered the remains of women and children, he noted. Muhsin called for accelerated efforts and DNA testing to identify the victims.
Ali Habib, Tal Afar Coordinator of the Turkmeneli Human Rights Center, emphasized that video evidence and eyewitness accounts confirmed the well contains Turkmen executed by Daesh/ISIS.
Habib mentioned that they had reported the mass grave both to Iraqi officials and international authorities after the region was liberated from the terror group in 2017.
He also stressed the urgent need for DNA testing on the exhumed remains to provide closure for the families of those missing.
Despite challenging conditions, including dust storms and extreme heat, the search continues. Over 200 bodies have been recovered and sent for DNA testing, but the work remains far from complete, Habib noted.
Daesh/ISIS terrorists seized control of the Mosul, Salahaddin, Anbar, regions, as well as parts of Diyala and Kirkuk in northern Iraq in June 2014.
Iraqi forces reclaimed these regions over subsequent years, with former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declaring victory over terrorist organization ISIS on Dec. 9, 2017.
*Writing by Yasin Gungor in Istanbul