Iraqi intelligence use a plot of land next to their office as a car park for which they flatten the ground which sparked protests by the Ezidi communit as the site has been documented as a mass grave for 6-10 remnants of Ezidis slaughtered at the hands of Islamic State ISIS militants back in 2014 and 2015.
The site is located between Shingal police and Iraqi intelligence office in the district of Shingal, home to the Ezidi ethno-religious minority in Mosul center of Ninewa province.
A senior local administrator of Shingal anonymously told KirkukNow a unit of Iraqi intelligence leveled the plot of land next to its headquarter "while remnants of Ezidis are there."
"When they started the process, bones and clothes of ordinary people were found. The act has sparked our and the Eizids anger," he added.
When they started the process, bones and clothes of ordinary people were found
A delegation of the elderly and clerics of the Ezidi community delivered the message of the Eizid community to Iraqi intelligence who said they had no idea about the mass grave.
Shingal, June 30 2021- The site of the mass grave one day following the leveling. KirkukNow
Iraqi intelligence has opened its office in Shingal, following Shingal agreement between Baghdad and Erbil to normalize the situation security situation.
In October 2020, the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG signed the Shingal Agreement aimed to reorganize the security and administrative dossiers in the district, under which local police, national security and intelligence run the security of the town, while the Iraqi army forces would be deployed in the suburbs.
"They have taken a terrible step as they should have investigated about the place and consulted Shingal administration beforehand," the source added.
The Ezidi Organization for documentation of Shingal documents has registered the site as a mass grave on August 29, 2019. The NGO said in a statement then it has found a mass grave for up to ten people in cooperation with Shingal police.
Shingal, located 120 west of Mosul, on the border of Iraq-Syria, is home to the Ezidi minority targeted by Islamic State (IS) group in August 2014 and one of the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.
Seized in August 2014 by ISIS militants whom accused the Ezidis of being “heretics,” Shingal has been the scene of tragedy: a genocidal campaign of killings, rape, abductions and enslavement, mounted to genocide.
The surviving community fled to safer-heaven IDP camps on Shingal Mount and in the adjacent northern Kurdistan region where tens of thousands still live in tens of camps for Internally Displaced Person IDP.
Thousands of Ezidi women, girls and kids were enslaved and taken as sex slaves. Up today, about 2800 Ezidis, mainly women, girls and kids, are still missing.
Darwesh Choki, director of TOlay NGO for survivors of IS said, "the place which was flattened with the ground is home to a mass grave… What was done is a severe insult to the Ezidis and particularly to the families of the victims."
What was done is a severe insult to the Ezidis and particularly to the families of the victims
Choki has not taken Iraqi intelligence excuse seriously as he is definitely sure a mass grave lies in that place.
"There is a mass grave there 100% and there is no any space for doubt," he enthusiastically talked to KirkukNow.
"We have conveyed our protest against this to Shingal officials and the intelligence so forensic teams and relevant offices should make a serious follow up for this and we will do our best to sort this out."
Shingal, August 29th 2019- The site of the mass grave found and documented by an Ezidi NGO.
Out of half million population, over 350,000 Ezidis fled Shingal to Kurdistan region and Shingal Mount. About 100,000 migrated to Europe, USA, Canada and Australia
About eighty mass graves and tens of individual graves were found for the Ezidi adherents slaughtered at the hands of the extremist of ISIS yet few of it has been exhumed up today.
Falah Hassan, member of the investigative and data collection committee of national tema for exhuming mass graves under the KRG doubtfully said they are not sure if the remnants are for humans.
"We are aware of the case but who says the bones are for humans? We have contacted Baghdad and once they task us, we can go to the site and investigate."
The KRG committee coordinates with Baghdad and takes no step without its confirmation.
"Baghdad has not responded yet and we are waiting for their feedback," he added.
"Baghdad has not responded yet and we are waiting for their feedback,"
KirkukNow has put serious effort to contact Iraqi intelligence but they declined to comment.
On March 15, 2019, the first mass grave for the Eizidi victims was unearthed in the village of Kojo where 364 bodies were collected from 17 mass graves, official records of Iraqi national team for mass graves said.
The remnants were returned for burial in Kojo following forensic and DNA tests.
