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Investigators Say Iraqi Mass Graves Hold 300,000
Reuters ^ | 11-8-03 | Andrew Hammond

Posted on 11/08/2003 10:08:39 AM PST by GraniteStateConservative

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi and U.S. rights investigators said on Saturday they suspected Iraq had up to 260 mass graves containing the bodies of at least 300,000 people murdered by the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

They told a conference that the task of identifying bodies and preparing evidence for tribunals could take years and millions of dollars, but the long process would be worth it to heal the wounds of three decades of brutal Baath Party rule.

"We have reports of 260 mass graves and we have confirmed approximately 40 of them," said Sandra Hodgkinson, director of the Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) mass grave action plan'.

"We believe, based on what Iraqis have reported to us, that there are 300,000 dead and that's the lower end of the estimates.

"In Bosnia it's now eight or nine years since similar atrocities and only 8,000 bodies out of 30,000 have been uncovered. Here in Iraq it's 300,000," said Hodgkinson, a human rights lawyer brought in by the CPA after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam in April. More sites could still be found.

The three-day conference aims to prepare Iraqi rights workers and officials of the Iraqi human rights ministry for the process of disinterring graves and convincing families that they should wait rather than rush to dig up bodies themselves.

Hodgkinson said only 11 of the 260 sites had been disturbed since the graves were first discovered in May, when distraught families frantically dug around for the remains of loved ones.

Iraqi officials, who will gradually take over control of the investigations, also called for patience.

"Iraq doesn't have the capability at present to do the work of investigation. The main task for the moment is how to protect the sites which have been opened," Human Rights Minister Abdel-Basset Turki told the meeting.

KURDS VICTIMISED

The U.S. military has footed the bill for satellite imaging to identify sites, but Turki said more money would be needed.

Iraq's Governing Council asked an international donor conference in Madrid last month for $100 million to be spent on equipment and manpower over the next five years, but Turki said little has been forthcoming yet.

A team of forensic experts will arrive in Iraq in January to begin work on up to 20 sites around the country where evidence will be collected for future trials of regime figures. Work to identify bodies has begun at the other 200-odd sites.

Investigators have identified six major crime periods: 1983 attacks on Kurds, a 1988 campaign against Kurds, chemical weapons attacks on Kurds 1986-88, the 1991 crushing of a southern Shi'ite revolt, 1991 crushing of Kurdish insurrection, and crimes against all sectors of the population during the entire period of Baath rule.

Rafid al-Husseiny, a doctor who has led disinterring work at the Mahaweel site near Hilla south of Baghdad, is leading efforts to train Iraqis in the gravedigging process.

"Since May we have investigated a mass grave there of 3,115 people. We identified 2,115 bodies, which were reburied by their families," he said, stressing reconciliation among Iraqis.

"Iraqi citizens must look with both eyes, one looking to the future and one looking toward the past."


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: graves; iraq; massgraves; saddam
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To: polemikos
BUSH'S FAULT!!!!
21 posted on 11/08/2003 12:32:00 PM PST by Democratshavenobrains
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To: thinktwice
You don't include the Nine Dwarves and the Democrap Party?
22 posted on 11/08/2003 12:41:34 PM PST by GraniteStateConservative ("We happy because when we switch on the TV you never see Saddam Hussein. That's a big happy.")
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To: Semper Paratus
What happened to the mass graves in Kosovo?

Do you mean the ones that Clinton cited as the reason for going to ware in Kosovo? Well, it took almost 10 years but we finally found them. The only problem is, they are all in Iraq.

23 posted on 11/08/2003 12:59:58 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy
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To: Bubba_Leroy
Do you mean the ones that Clinton cited as the reason for going to ware in Kosovo

Come to think of it they did find some. But the dead were Serbs.

24 posted on 11/08/2003 1:01:55 PM PST by Semper Paratus
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To: Ragirl
So, which war was more justified? Bosnia or Iraq?

Iraq...
25 posted on 11/08/2003 1:07:07 PM PST by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: GraniteStateConservative
Interesting that Reuters released this on a Saturday.

Won't get much "air play".

I doubt the mainstream media will pick it up.

26 posted on 11/08/2003 3:23:52 PM PST by FReepaholic (Never Forget: www.september-11-videos.com)
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To: KevinDavis
300,000 deaths is one hundred times as many as Clinton described as "Genocide" and proceeded to blow Yugoslavia to
cinders. All with the Blessings of the UN and the American Liberals.
27 posted on 11/08/2003 3:45:27 PM PST by LtKerst (Lt Kerst)
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To: thinktwice
Those that allied themselves with Saddam are complicit in the slaughter of Iraqi citizens -- in particular, that would be Syria, France and Russia.

Don't forget to add the UN and American Liberals. and Media
and A.N.S.W.E.R. and "Not in our Name" scum....Oh yes Iran,
Egypt,Malaiseia,China,Mexico..The usual Trash of the World.


28 posted on 11/08/2003 3:50:51 PM PST by LtKerst (Lt Kerst)
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To: RandallFlagg
They'll just blame us for their deaths..sanctions and all that.**GAG!**

I was not aware that sanctions caused people to develop cases of lead in the brain. < /extreme sarcasm >.

29 posted on 11/08/2003 3:54:26 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style)
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To: GraniteStateConservative
Howard Dean believes this is NONE of our business.
30 posted on 11/08/2003 5:13:21 PM PST by OldFriend (DEMS INHABIT A PARALLEL UNIVERSE)
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To: tscislaw
Does anyone have an estimate on how many civilians were killed by our bombings in Bosnia?
31 posted on 11/08/2003 5:18:53 PM PST by Clint Lippo
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To: Semper Paratus
"What happened to the mass graves in Kosovo?"

Less than 10% of the pre-war predictions. The promoter of those claims, a career diplomat, had a very dubious history of fraudulent claims in Central America in the 80s. I saved a lot of articles regarding the justification and costs of that war, but never got around to doing anything with them.

32 posted on 11/08/2003 8:35:37 PM PST by elfman2
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To: DoughtyOne
You don't hear much about this on CBiaS

The lamestream news will probably devote as much time to the mass graves story as they did to the leaked demo memo. Thank goodness for the Internet, talk radio and Fox News!
33 posted on 11/08/2003 8:43:21 PM PST by octobersky
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To: Sabertooth
How many deaths would there be if we pulled out right now?
I would point this out to the idiot 9.
34 posted on 11/08/2003 11:07:07 PM PST by Brimack34
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To: Sabertooth
He gasses his own people...a lot of those dead are from the "yellow rain" back in the late 80's

I remember those days well...the Wall St. Journal was the loan voice and -- here too - the libs were hand wringing and saying "it ain't so" (notably the NY Times)
35 posted on 11/09/2003 1:48:53 AM PST by The Raven
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To: Ragirl
It is interesting how Clark(who is some kind of hero to the Demonrats who consider bombing killing innocents, but not with him and Clintoon) and the rest of the Demonrats are so concerned and say Iraq was no 'imminent threat' and 'no threat to America' when Kosovo was far from it. Maybe if they had taken the same kind of determination seeking out al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden that they found so imminent in Kosovo, we wouldn't have been left so many int'l problems. There is such sickening hypocrisies with those people. Their war is bombing the hell out of Kosovo, but the war in Afghanistan and then Iraq was about killing innocents.
36 posted on 11/09/2003 7:53:46 AM PST by bushfamfan
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To: GraniteStateConservative
I've been waiting and waiting for this story. A month ago a friend returned from duty in Iraq. He said that he, personally, was present when they opened three mass graves with an estimated total body count of 20,000. He kept asking me, "Why isn't this on the news???"
37 posted on 11/09/2003 8:24:19 PM PST by Brandon
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To: bushfamfan
"Demonrats are so concerned and say Iraq was no 'imminent threat' and 'no threat to America' when Kosovo was far from it."

Excellent point that cannot be refuted - I hadn't heard this before but it is so obvious. The next time a liberal says we shouldn't be there, I'm going to ask him about this.
38 posted on 11/09/2003 9:41:35 PM PST by M. Peach (eschew obsfucation)
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To: GraniteStateConservative
"We believe, based on what Iraqis have reported to us, that there are 300,000 dead and that's the lower end of the estimates.

I finally found the courage to read this thread. As I expected, it is terribly sad.

39 posted on 11/10/2003 8:41:15 AM PST by flutters (God Bless The USA)
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To: GraniteStateConservative
"We believe, based on what Iraqis have reported to us, that there are 300,000 dead and that's the lower end of the estimates."

Dick Gephardt: Where are the weapons of mass destruction?!?! Bush is a total failure... etc.

40 posted on 11/10/2003 2:15:52 PM PST by Cobra64 (Babes should wear Bullet Bras - www.BulletBras.net)
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