Khthon documents mass graves, atrocity crimes, and forensic evidence
from conflict zones worldwide. Our work is strictly humanitarian and apolitical.
This site may contain imagery and descriptions of deceased individuals,
violent injuries, and human remains gathered in the course of active
investigations. Content is presented for accountability and documentation purposes only.
18+You must be 18 or older to proceed. Viewer discretion advised.
Content Advisory
Khthon documents mass graves, atrocity crimes, and forensic evidence
from conflict zones worldwide. Our work is strictly humanitarian and apolitical.
This site may contain imagery and descriptions of deceased individuals,
violent injuries, and human remains gathered in the course of active
investigations.
18+You must be 18 or older to proceed. Viewer discretion advised.
Welcome to the Khthon Kaptcha — a series of questions and tasks designed to test the logical thinking, problem solving, and open-source intelligence initiative required of a Khthon Investigative Analyst. Don't panic. All questions can be answered using basic internet searches, Google Maps, Google Earth, and similar tools you probably already use.
This is a holistic assessment. We score you on logical reasoning, analytical skill, and clarity of communication. Go into detail about how you arrived at your answers. Include screenshots, images, and justifications. Be creative.
There is no time limit. Your elapsed time is recorded and visible above, but it will not disqualify you. Take the time you need.
Content note: this assessment discusses violent attacks and the deaths of many people. This is the nature of the work, and will be part of every investigation you conduct at Khthon.
— Sam McKnight, Director, Khthon
The timer will start when you click Begin. There is no time limit — your elapsed time is for reviewer context only.
Section 01 · Geolocation
01
This aerial image shows the area known as Colinas de Santa Fe, where Mexican authorities worked to find the remains of people buried in mass graves on the outskirts of Veracruz. More than 250 skulls were found there in 2017 in what appears to be a drug cartel's mass burial ground.
Using only the image and information above, provide the exact location of the site in coordinates, with a satellite screenshot. Provide as many reasons supporting your location as possible in bullet points and short paragraphs of analysis.
In November 2001, as many as 2,000 surrendered Taliban fighters are believed to have been suffocated to death or shot in container trucks while being transported to prison by U.S.-allied Afghan troops, and buried in a mass grave in Dasht-e-Leili, near the town of Sheberghan in northern Afghanistan.
1. Find the site and provide a screenshot of the potential third mass grave that appeared later in the immediate proximity of the same site.
2. Search the surrounding area for other suspect or notable aberrations and ground disturbances that you believe should be flagged or investigated. Provide justification and analysis.
03
On the morning of Sunday 7 January, airstrikes on the village of Kanan hit near a church where many residents were worshipping, and close to the village school compound. 17 people were killed and over 20 injured. Nine children were among the dead. Of the 19 injured, 11 were children under 17 who had been playing football at the time of the strike.
"The children attended Sunday school at around 7:30 in the morning. Afterwards, they would play football until lunch. Some were watching their siblings play… the children on the sports grounds were affected by the airstrikes."
Using only this information about a military attack on a village in Myanmar, identify the likely locations of the church, school, and football field.
Tip 1: The strikes were in close proximity — all three locations are very close to each other.
Tip 2: What feature differentiates a field from a football field?
04
The bodies of at least 87 ethnic Masalit and others allegedly killed by Rapid Support Forces and allied militia in West Darfur were buried in a mass grave outside the region's capital El-Geneina on the orders of the RSF, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
At least 37 bodies were buried on 20 June in a roughly one-metre-deep grave in an open area called Al-Turab Al Ahmar (Red Soil), in the Ranga area, about two to four kilometres northwest of the headquarters of the Central Reserve Police in western El-Geneina. Another 50 bodies were buried at the same site on 21 June.
Provide a rough location of the mass grave site. Use a screenshot of a map with the area of interest outlined. Provide justification and reasoning.
Tip 1: Look for geolocation clues in the accompanying image, which shows a truck offloading bodies at the site.
Tip 2: Google Maps is crowdsourced — it often has pertinent information labelled in languages besides English.
05
An image shows a landscaped garden with palm trees, a curved path, flower borders, and a large pyramid visible in the background through the trees.
Provide the location of the person who took this photo. Provide a satellite image with the location circled to 5m accuracy, and explain how you arrived at your answer.
06
An image shows a high elevated view over a dense jungle canopy, with several large stone temple structures emerging above the treeline in the distance. The sky is clear blue. The photographer is standing on an elevated structure.
Provide the name of the structure the photographer was standing on. This is the hardest question in the assessment.
Section 02 · Investigation of Individual
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In this task you are given a simple brief: take the information below and find out as much as you possibly can about the individual. Be creative in your methods and as detailed as you can, but you are not expected to be exhaustive. Points are awarded for every piece of information provided, but also for how pertinent it is, where you found it, and how you found it.
This person gave full consent to be included in this assessment.
Scenario A: In your research you come across an article in Africanews by a local journalist detailing an account of a recent purported massacre and mass burial event. You can find no other sources online. What is the next logical step?
09
Scenario B: In another article you see the name of a village associated with an attack. You search on Google Maps for this village but it comes back blank. What other resources and websites could you search?
Tip: Villages often have a church, community group, or local organisation that posts updates or maintains a contact page.
10
Scenario C: A common OSINT problem is "hitting the wall" — when an investigation fails to deliver its main objective. If you have done everything possible and have only managed to narrow down a grave site to a specific area or village, with all other materials compiled, what should you do?
Section 04 · Multiple Choice
11
You find a mass grave through the help of a local informant called Abdul and you wish to publish the results. Do you:
12
You have completed all assigned tasks and find yourself with unstructured time. Which of the following best reflects your approach?
13
Your project manager is currently unavailable and there has been a temporary lack of communication about next steps. How do you respond? (Select all that apply)
Submit Your Assessment
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