“On 13 May, 2003, two large mass graves containing thousands of people were located in the area of Mahawil near Hilla [Iraq]. Many of those arrested in the uprising of 1991 had been detained there. The US military at first tried to secure the site, but the pressure of the crowds seeking information about their loved ones caused them to relent and civilians swarmed over the mass grave sites, which were then exhumed by mechanical diggers. Execution squads from the Special Republican Guard had done most of the killings. Other organs of the regime had participated, including local branches of the Ba’ath Party, the police, intelligence services and pro-government tribes.”
– Ali A. Allawi, The Occupation of Iraq, Page 142