NEWS CENTER - The Initial Response Team of al-Raqqa Civil Council continues to exhume bodies from the mass graves are spread in al-Raqqa city and its countryside, where the team is about to be finished in Tel-Zidan site and found two new graves to ISIS' victims.

 

About 5,900 bodies from 25 mass graves had been found by initial team in al-Raqqa city and its countryside, 175 bodies found in Tel-Zidan site in al-Hamrat town in western countryside of al-Raqqa.

 

The team also discovered two mass graves between the cities of Hazima and al-Hokmieyah town north of the city of al-Raqqa and the cemetery of Mahmoudi village of al-Tabqa region.

 

The leader of the initial response team, Yasser al-Khamis, explained that most of the bodies exhumed were civilians who had been executed by ISIS mercenaries during their domination, indicating that work in Tel Zidan cemetery was delayed due to the direct burying of bodies and by illegal means, in addition to the presence of more than one body in one grave and bones mix together.

 

On the way to work, Yasser al-Khamis explained, "Samples are taken from each body before burial in a legitimate way in the cemetery of Tal al-Baya, north of the city of al-Raqqa, in order to analyze it and identify the owner."

 

Al-Khamis also attributed the reason for the delay in analyzing the samples to the lack of devices used, which caused a delay in the identification of many bodies, stressing that in the near future these devices will be provided.

 

The head of the initial response team explained that the two tombs No. 26 will be worked in the countryside of the town of Hazima, and No. 27 in the countryside of city of al-Tabqa after the division of the work team into two parts.