New Mass Grave Found Near Kirkuk: Iraq

BAGHDAD: Iraqi government says a mass grave discovered in northeast Iraq contains 185 bodies, mostly of women and children believed killed during a crackdown against Kurds by former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Majid Abdullah Karim of the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights said Saturday that the number could be lower because only bones were found.

Karim says the grave was discovered south of Kirkuk two years ago, though forensic pathologists only began examining it this week.

The grave was found at a former military camp used by Saddam’s forces. Authorities believe the remains date to between 1988 and 1991.

An estimated 180,000 Kurds were killed by Saddam’s forces during the late 1980s in a brutal crackdown on Kurdish insurgents.