Abstract
Background: Following the 2014 attacks on Sinjar, multiple mass graves were documented in Kojo village. Many victims were exhumed and transferred to Baghdad for medico‑legal examination and humanitarian identification. In large‑scale recovery operations, pelvic and cranial elements are not always available or sufficiently preserved; consequently, long bones (femur and forearm) become critical for sex estimation and for cross‑checking age assessments.
Objective: To evaluate whether measurements of the left femur and left forearm (radius + ulna complex, measured as forearm length) can aid sex estimation and support age profiling in a cohort of exhumed individuals from Kojo, and to summarize practical management steps that supported ethical, scientific, and culturally sensitive handling of remains.
Materials and Methods: We reviewed 382 skeletonized sets of remains meeting strict inclusion criteria (intact left femur and left forearm; adult epiphyseal status) and excluding cases with extensive burning, mutilation, advanced taphonomic alteration, or prior major trauma/deformity. Standard osteological procedures and chain‑of‑custody protocols were applied. Long‑bone lengths were recorded; descriptive statistics and group comparisons were conducted to explore sexual dimorphism and age‑related patterns within the available data.
Results: The mean left femur length was 31.40 ± 11.91 cm and the mean left forearm length was 24.02 ± 9.12 cm. The difference between these means was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Of 342 sexed individuals, 146 (42.7%) were male and 196 (57.3%) were female. Age profiling identified 199 (58.2%) adults, 139 (40.6%) older adults, and 4 (1.2%) subadults.
Conclusions: In absence of pelvic or cranial landmarks, femur and forearm measurements provide practical adjuncts to sex estimation in this population and context. Such measurements should be applied alongside broader metric and morphological assessments and, wherever possible, genetic testing. The experience from Kojo highlights not only analytical techniques but also the operational management—documentation, storage, and family‑centered return—that underpins dignified identification.
Keywords: Forensic anthropology; mass graves; Kojo; Sinjar; Yazidi; sex estimation; long bones; femur; forearm; humanitarian identification; Iraq.
