Mass Grave in Syria Could Contain at Least 100,000 Dead, Reuters Reports

A mass grave near Damascus may contain the remains of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, according to Mouaz Moustafa, the head of a US-based Syrian advocacy group, Reuters reported on December 17.

Moustafa described the site at al-Qutayfah, about 25 miles (40 km) north of the Syrian capital, as one of several mass graves he has identified over the years.

“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate, it’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate,” Moustafa said.

Moustafa, who leads the Syrian Emergency Task Force , suggested that more undiscovered mass graves likely exist, adding that the victims include not only Syrians but also US, British, and other foreign nationals.

Assad has repeatedly denied allegations of human rights abuses, portraying his opponents as extremists.

According to Moustafa, the Syrian Air Force intelligence branch oversaw the transfer of bodies, often from military hospitals where victims had died under torture, to mass graves. He alleged that Damascus municipal funeral workers assisted in unloading bodies from refrigerated trucks and burying them.

“We were able to talk to people who worked on these mass graves, many of whom escaped Syria on their own or with our help,” Moustafa explained.

His organization interviewed bulldozer drivers who described being forced to dig massive graves and “on orders, squished the bodies down to fit them in and then covered them with dirt.”

Moustafa expressed concern that graves sites were unsecured and said they needed to be preserved to safeguard evidence for investigations.

The war in Syria, which began in 2011 as a crackdown on protests against Assad’s rule and escalated into a devastating civil war, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands. Both Bashar al-Assad and his late father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled before him, have been accused by Syrians, human rights organizations, and foreign governments of systemic extrajudicial killings, including mass executions in notorious prison networks.

Read more

Category

World

Russia’s Key Military Bases in Syria and Why They Matter for Moscow

Dec 11, 2024 13:34

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte criticized Russia and Iran for their roles in Syria’s war, stating that both countries share responsibility for the crimes committed against the Syrian people.