Since the liberation of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in October 2017, the recovery of bodies from mass graves created by the so-called Islamic State (IS) has continued. So far, the reconstruction committee has salvaged the remains of 2,600 ISIS victims. As far as possible, the corpses are handed over to the families, while the unidentified dead are buried according to religious duties.

So far, however, only the mass graves near the Rashid Stadium and Erebiyê Park and others in the vicinity of the Old Mosque have been investigated. The dead are predominantly civilians who were murdered by ISIS.

Abdullah Aryan, a member of the Committee for Reconstruction, said the investigation on the grounds of the Old Mosque has been completed.

"94 bodies were found during the research efforts conducted in this area. During this process, 68 bodies could be identified as those of civilians and handed over to their families. 26 other unidentified bodies will be buried in the cemetery."

According to Aryan, further mass graves could not yet be investigated, as they would first have to be cleared of mines.