100,000 bodies found in mass grave near Damascus, says Syrian official

People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus on December 16, 2024. - (AFP Photo)

Mouaz Moustafa, the head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, reported on Monday that at least 100,000 bodies of people killed by Bashar al-Assad's regime were found in a mass grave near Damascus. Moustafa, speaking from Damascus in an interview with Reuters, identified the site at al Qutayfah, located 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the capital, as one of five mass graves he has documented over the years.

Why it matters

These revelations underscore the ongoing human rights violations linked to the Assad regime, including mass executions and torture. The scale of the alleged atrocity reflects the devastating impact of Syria’s civil war, while the international community remains divided on how to address the situation.

Body bags lie on a field after a mass grave was discovered in an agricultural land in Izra, in Syria's southern Daraa province, on December 16, 2024. - Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 100,000 people died in Syria's jails and detention centres from 2011. (Photo by Sam HARIRI / AFP)Members of Syria's White Helmets civil defence transport body-bags containing human remains that were recovered from a mass grave, in Damascus, on December 16, 2024. - Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 100,000 people died in Syria's jails and detention centres from 2011. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)An aerial view shows body bags ready to be transported in the back of a truck after bodies were uncovered at a mass grave in Damascus on December 16, 2024. - Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 100,000 people died in Syria's jails and detention centres from 2011. (Photo by Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP)

Details

Moustafa’s conservative estimate suggests at least 100,000 bodies are buried at the al Qutayfah site.
The grave is said to contain not only Syrians but also U.S., British and other foreign nationals.
Moustafa believes there are more mass grave sites beyond the five he has identified.
Reuters could not independently verify Moustafa’s claims.
The mass killings are connected to Assad’s violent crackdown on protests that began in 2011 and escalated into a full-scale civil war.

Big picture

Since the start of the conflict, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed. Rights groups and governments have accused the Assad regime of widespread extrajudicial killings and mass executions, particularly within Syria’s notorious prison system. Assad has consistently denied these allegations.

What they’re saying

Moustafa explained that Syrian intelligence services were responsible for transporting bodies, many of whom had been tortured to death, to the mass grave sites.
He described how bulldozer drivers were forced to bury the bodies, often compressing them to fit in the graves.
The Syrian government, through its U.N. Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Moustafa emphasized the need to secure and preserve mass grave sites to ensure they can be used as evidence in future investigations.

What’s next

Given the scale of the alleged war crimes, international efforts are needed to secure these grave sites and support investigations into the Assad regime’s actions.

December 17, 2024 11:02 AM GMT+03:00