15,000 buried in IS mass graves in Syria & Iraq

According to an extensive survey by the Associated Press, Islamic State militants have buried up to 15,000 people at 72 sites across Syria and Iraq. The findings of the report are based on documentation and mapping of mass graves, excavations and testimonial accounts by survivors. The figures narrate a chilling story of crimes and violence perpetrated by IS, as it killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis and Shia Muslims in Syria and Iraq since 2014.

Sirwan Jalal, the director of a local agency involved in the documentation of mass graves says, “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.” notes NYDaily News.

The survey says that more mass graves are expected to be discovered as the jihadist group is driven out from its stronghold around the cities of Mosul and Raqqa, writes The Guardian. IS has never been secretive of the mass killings; in fact, it has used the videos and images of enslavement and murder of Yazidis as a propaganda material.

Activists say that by the time fighting stops in IS-controlled areas, it will become more complicated to document the massacres, exhume and identify the remains, reports Fox News.