Iraqis pledge to uncover graves

There are believed to be 262 mass graves and 300,000 missing people

A group of Iraqi nationals studying forensic archaeology have spoken of their determination to get justice for the victims of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The group, studying at Bournemouth University, return to Iraq in February to gather evidence of killings.

The medics and police officers, funded by the British government, hope to uncover the true extent of illegal killings by excavating mass graves.

An estimated 300,000 people disappeared during the former dictator's rule.

Ronald Wessling is project co-ordinator for the Inforce Foundation which has been teaching people how to excavate mass graves in the Balkans.

He said: "Forensic science is not just about excavating bodies but getting information on when it happened, how it happened and who did it.

"It has to be done by the local community because it is their dead. It is their relatives missing for years or even decades."