Eight family members to stand trial in Iraq over Khasfah sinkhole massacre
BAGHDAD (IraqiNews.com) – Eight family members will stand trial in Iraq on charges of joining the Islamic State group and involvement in killing 370 people in Mosul city, the Iraqi judiciary said on Wednesday.
“The eight men, all from the same family, admitted participating in the Khasfah massacre, where they pushed several security forces and civilians into a 100-foot-wide sinkhole in Hamam al-Alil area after the Islamic State group captured the city of Mosul in 2014,” the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) quoted spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council Abdel-Sattar Bayraqdar as saying.
“They are involved in the execution of 370 civilians and security forces, besides the detention of 400 people in Mosul,” he added.
The men, according to the spokesman, admitted “committing several crimes,” adding that all legal procedures were taken against them pursuant to article ¼ of Iraq’s anti-terrorism law.
After Islamic State seized control of Mosul in 2014, they carried out one of Iraq’s largest mass graves, known as Khasfah massacre.
Witnesses said the victims were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs, before being forced to kneel. They were then shot and pushed into the crater.
The exact number of detained IS militants is still unknown, however, it’s estimated to be at thousands.