Baghdad: The Martyrs Foundation has officially denied reports regarding the discovery of a new mass grave in the Anbar desert.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Assistant Director General of the Mass Graves Department, Dhargham Kamel Abdul Majeed, clarified that recent reports circulating in media outlets and on social media platforms were inaccurate. These reports had suggested the discovery of a mass grave containing remains of martyrs killed by ISIS in the Anbar desert. Abdul Majeed emphasized that these claims were false and explained that the remains in question belonged to martyrs from the Iraqi army who had previously been exhumed from earlier graves.

Abdul Majeed further elaborated those examinations and investigations revealed that these remains were from mass graves that had been opened after 2020. The exhumation process was conducted under the supervision of a specialized national team, including the Martyrs Foundation, the Mass Graves Department, the Ministry of Health, and the Forensic Medicine Department.

He noted that the Forensic Medicine Department completed the matching of samples and identified 12 martyrs from the Iraqi Army. Their remains were handed over to Al-Hussein Military Hospital, part of the Ministry of Defense. Subsequently, the hospital delivered the bodies to their families. Abdul Majeed also highlighted that the circulated video footage showing funeral and burial ceremonies was related to these events and not to any new mass grave discovery.