HRW urges help for Syrians excavating mass graves

Human Rights Watch yesterday urged the international community to support Syrians excavating mass graves in Raqa after US-backed fighters ousted jihadists from the city.

Fighters backed by US-led coalition air strikes expelled the Islamic State jihadist group from the city in October, leaving the Raqa City Council to run it.

The New York-based group said council workers with little specialised equipment or experience in forensic analysis were struggling to tackle the mammoth mission of exhuming the dead.

"Raqa city has at least nine mass graves, each one estimated to have dozens, if not hundreds, of bodies, making exhumations a monumental task," said HRW's Priyanka Motaparthy.

"Without the right technical assistance, these exhumations may not provide families with the answers they have been waiting for and could damage or destroy evidence crucial to future justice efforts."

IS jihadists carried out public executions and detained thousands of people during their rule of the city from June 2014 to October 2017.

But local authorities estimate thousands of people were also killed in the battle to retake the city, either buried quickly or left under the rubble.

HRW urged the international community, including the United States, and international organisations to support local authorities in their task.

"International organisations with forensic expertise should provide technical support, including by sending in forensic experts," it said.