Widely considered as one of the cradles of human civilization, Mesopotamia is largely situated in the Republic of Iraq, which is also the birthplace of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations. These lands were subsequently ruled by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mongolians, Ottomans and finally British prior to the independence. As a direct consequence of this rich history, the contemporary Iraqi population comprises a true mosaic of different ethnicities, which includes Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, and Yazidis among others. As such, the genetics of the contemporary Iraqi populations are of anthropological and forensic interest. In an effort to contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis of this ethnic diversity, a total of 500 samples were collected from Northern Iraqi volunteers belonging to five major ethnic groups, namely: Arabs (n = 102), Kurds (n = 104), Turkmens (n = 102), Yazidis (n = 106) and Syriacs (n = 86). 17-loci Y-STR analyses were carried out using the AmpFlSTR Yfiler system, and subsequently in silico haplogroup assignments were made to gain insights from a molecular anthropology perspective. Systematic comparisons of the paternal lineages of these five Northern Iraqi ethnic groups, not only among themselves but also in the context of the larger genetic landscape of the Near East and beyond, were then made through the use of two different genetic distance metric measures and the associated data visualization methods. Taken together, results from the current study suggested the presence of intricate Y-chromosomal lineage patterns among the five ethic groups analyzed, wherein both interconnectivity and independent microvariation were observed in parallel, albeit in a differential manner. Notably, the novel Y-STR data on Turkmens, Syriacs and Yazidis from Northern Iraq constitute the first of its kind in the literature. Data presented herein is expected to contribute to further population and forensic investigations in Northern Iraq in particular and the Near East in general.

Turkish Cypriot paternal lineages seem to bear an autochthonous character and closest genetic connection with the neighbouring Near Eastern populations. These observations are further underscored by the fact that the haplogroups associated with the spread of Neolithic Agricultural Revolution from the Fertile Crescent (E1b1b/J1/J2/G2a) dominate (>70%) the Turkish Cypriot haplogroup distribution.

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Turkish Cypriot DNA Laboratory (TCDL) operates under the Turkish Cypriot Member Office of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP). TCDL contributes to the UN-led CMP Project on Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons and also plays a leading role in the establishment of forensic genetic services in North Cyprus. A family reference sample (FRS) bank comprising the relatives of the Turkish Cypriot missing persons (MiPs) from the 1963/64 and 1974 era was established first. Since 2012, TCDL assumed full responsibility for DNA typing of all Turkish Cypriot FRSs, which are then used for familial DNA matching with those for the skeletal remains exhumed from all over Cyprus and analyzed at international laboratories such as ICMP and Bode Technology. Using a second sample bank comprising Turkish Cypriot volunteer samples, TCDL also conducts population studies for requisite statistical evaluations of MiP identifications.

The novel Southeastern Anatolian dataset is expected to be useful in regional forensic genetics investigations and molecular anthropology applications.