Posted on 05/02/2005 7:11:12 PM PDT by nickcarraway
WITH paintbrushes, forensic specialists are carefully brushing away dirt from a human skull covered with sandy soil, one of 1500 believed to be buried in seven mass graves uncovered in this desolate stretch of the Iraqi desert, now patrolled by Australian troops.
In a nearby trench dug by US investigators, a mass of black tangled hair gives a second skull an almost life-like appearance. A third skull appears to be screaming, mouth wide open. Skulls and bones, clothing and other belongings found in shallow graves offer valuable clues to investigators gathering evidence against Saddam Hussein and others from the former regime, says Gregg Nivala, a regime crimes liaison officer from the US embassy in Baghdad.
"This allows us to prove the crimes," he said.
The site, near the town of Samawa, about 290km south of Baghdad, consists of 18 shallow trenches dug by earth-moving vehicles into hard limestone rock.
In another trench, a shiny gold-and-purple dress and a blue bead necklace lying next to a fourth skull, presumed to be that of a woman, is distinctive enough to indicate the people buried there were Kurds from northern Iraq, according to Mr Nivala. Dates on medicine found in the graves indicate the people were killed about the time of the 1987-88 Anfal campaign in which Kurdish villages were razed and hundreds of people relocated to the south, said the US archaeologist in charge of the excavation, Sonny Trimble.
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"Blister packs of pills have expiration dates, wrist watches have the day, and the dates go back to that year," Mr Trimble said. "We're finding them very effective."
The former Iraqi leader, who is being held in a US detention centre in Iraq, faces seven charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the Anfal campaign, including the 1988 gassing of the village of Halabja, which left 5000 people dead.
The former minister of human rights in the US-backed Iraqi administration, Baktiar Amin, said that, based on the AK-47 bullet casings and bullet holes left in the bones, gunmen opened fire on civilians, mostly women and children, killing them as they stood in open trenches.
"It was terrifying," Mr Amin said. "They came and basically sprayed them with bullets."
The gruesome search is part of a painstaking US effort costing up to $US10million ($12.5million) per site to gather forensic evidence.
Defence Minister Robert Hill, on a flying visit to the Australian troops based just outside Samawa, said Canberra would consider any request from the Iraqi authorities for assistance in the recovery.
The investigators will concentrate on gathering evidence from seven main sites around the country, which will then be passed on to the Iraq Special Tribunal, made up of 30 Iraqi judges and US advisers.
More than 290 mass graves found since Saddam was overthrown by US-led forces in April 2003 contained the bodies of at least 300,000 people believed to have been killed by the regime, Mr Amin said.
He believes the total number missing could be close to one million.
Lawyers have interviewed more than 1000 witnesses in connection with the Anfal campaign, said judge Raid Jubi, chief investigator in the case. At least 14 tons of documents were collected.
Mr Nivala asked that the specific location of the graves not be made public, saying he was worried insurgents would target the site, or that grave robbers would plunder it after the investigators left.
When the team has finished its work, the graves will be filled in. The investigators will then take down their tents and mess hall, which are less than 1km from the site, trying to leave everything as they found it.
"Every body has bullet holes in it," Mr Trimble said. "You can't work in that pit every day, sometimes in 117-degree (47C) heat, and not have very strong emotions."
This is reminiscent of what Stalin did to his people during the purges. Shot them standing in front of open graves...
LQ
To the left anti war crowd, This was ok, nothing to be concerned about, that these people should have just stood up and overthrown him themselves.
300,000 is just the tip of the iceberg, another genocide right under the noses and with the blessings of the UN. What is the UN good for? I keep forgetting what it's purpose is.
The most efficient shots are to the base of the skull, the so-called "Stalin shot". One bullet is all that is needed.
Unfortunately (I am being sarcastic here) most people can't handle shooting women and children at point blank range to the base of the skull, not to mention getting blood and brain tissue all over themselves.
Mowing them down isn't nearly as efficient but much less "personal".
Yep, the UN was right, we should not have stopped the butcher of Bagdad.</sarcasm>
Unreal.
But, did any of the corpses have panties on their heads?
"More than 290 mass graves found since Saddam was overthrown by US-led forces in April 2003 contained the bodies of at least 300,000 people believed to have been killed by the regime, Mr Amin said. "
But, but, there were no WMD.....!!!!
The 4,000 Poles at Katyn were shot one at a time, 250 per night by no more than 7 men working one at a time.
The SS also used the shot to the back of the head. I've read they called it a "kugel"
Stories like this are so horrible I just can't think of an appropriate response.
It is mindblowing, i haven't seen much news like this on the regular news channels.
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