Watch: The Site in Iraq Where Bodies of 39 Indians Were Found

The bodies were found buried near the village of Badush, northwest of Mosul.

(Photo: AP screenshot)

Iraqi authorities confirmed on Tuesday, 20 March, that the bodies found buried under a mound in Badush last year were that of Indian construction workers who were abducted when Islamic State militants overran the northern city of Mosul in 2014.

Najiha Abdul-Amir al-Shimari, Head of Iraq's Martyrs Establishment, confirmed that of the 39 bodies found, 38 were identified as Indians.

The abducted workers' relatives said they received panicked phone calls from some of the workers five days after Mosul was captured, asking for help.

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Iraqi authorities used radar technology to verify the presence of mortal remains and then exhumed the bodies. Indian authorities then sent DNA samples from relatives of the missing workers to be matched with these bodies.

At least three different mass graves were found in the area, which Iraqi forces recaptured in July. It was not yet clear in which of the mass graves the Iraqi authorities found the remains of the Indian nationals.

Forty Indians were captured by the militants, though one man managed to escape. Iraqi authorities said the mass grave held 39 bodies. Analysis on the last body has not yet been completed.

Harjit Masih, the only Indian survivor, has long said that the rest of the group had been killed.

He said they had all been held for a number of days, then taken outside and ordered to kneel before the militants opened fire.

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