Mass Grave Uncovered in Iraq

Unearthed bodies dot the landscape surrounding a mass grave near the town of Hilla, Iraq  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

Iraqis watch over the uncovering of a mass grave near the town of Hilla. Tens of thousands of Iraqis are believed to have been executed after the Gulf War.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

Iraqi women weep as bodies are exhumed from the grave site near Hilla.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

A collection of bones and clothing are all that remain of a recovered body.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

Nama Khalef Jarah weeps as he carries the body of his brother Tahar Jarah.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

A man cries over the body of his father, Naji Shafi Abu-Ali, who had been missing since 1991.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

Mohammed Na’am Hashim cradles the body of her brother, Karim Jawad Kadhim, at the site where his body was discovered.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

More than 2,800 bodies have been discovered, many of them wearing blindfolds and carrying identification.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

Men help remove bodies from the grave site.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

The identification of a 4-year-old boy is on display inside the plastic bag containing his body.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)

At the end of the day, hundreds of family members gather to look over the bodies recovered from the mass grave in hopes of finding missing relatives.  (Carolyn Cole / LAT)