ISIS Bent on Destroying Entire People Groups, 72 Mass Graves Found

ISIS buried thousands of bodies, mostly Yazidis, in at least 72 mass graves across Iraq and Syria. Many more graves are expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks. 

The Associated Press has obtained locations for 17 mass graves in Syria. One includes hundreds of people from a single tribe.

The known number of victims buried range from 5,200 to more than 15,000. 

"We see clear evidence of the intent to destroy the Yazidi people," Naomi Kikoler, director of Policy & Advocacy with the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, said.

There are graves still out of reach where ISIS atrocities extend well beyond the Yazidi region in northern Iraq. Local residents have informally documented a few mass graves and partially unearthed some. 

In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, 400 members of the Shueitat tribe were found in one grave. They were some of the 1,000 members of the tribe believed to be massacred by ISIS.

Ziad Awad, editor of an online publication on Deir el-Zour called, The Eye of the City, is trying to document the graves.

"This is a drop in an ocean of mass graves expected to be discovered in the future in Syria," Awad said.