A mass grave discovered outside Damascus is believed to contain the bodies of over 100,000 people killed by the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, according to the head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organization.
Mouaz Moustafa, speaking from Damascus in an interview with Reuters on Monday, confirmed that the site at al-Qutayfah, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Syrian capital, is one of five mass graves he has identified over the years.
“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate,” Moustafa, the head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.” He also noted that there are likely more mass graves than the five sites he has identified and that the victims buried there include not only Syrians but also US and British citizens, along with other foreign nationals.
Moustafa explained that he has been tracking these grave sites for years. He believes the grave in al-Qutayfah is one of the largest and most significant, pointing out the involvement of Syria’s military intelligence in the systematic burial of victims. “The intelligence branch of the Syrian Air Force was in charge of bodies going from military hospitals, where bodies were collected after they’d been tortured to death, to different intelligence branches,” Moustafa explained. “They would then be sent to mass grave locations.”
He described the process of burying the bodies, including testimonies from individuals who were involved in digging the graves. According to Moustafa, bulldozer drivers who were forced to dig these mass graves often had to crush the bodies to fit more in, and then cover them with dirt.
Moustafa expressed concern about the preservation of these sites, urging that the graves be secured to protect vital evidence for potential investigations. He also mentioned that some workers who helped bury the bodies had escaped Syria, and his organization had assisted in their escape.
The mass graves are believed to be a grim reminder of the atrocities committed during the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011 after Assad’s violent crackdown on protests. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed since the conflict began, with many more displaced.
While Moustafa’s claims have not been independently verified by Reuters, the mass graves add to a long list of allegations against the Assad regime, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and widespread torture. Rights organizations and governments around the world have criticized Assad for his brutal tactics, but the Syrian president has consistently denied these allegations, dismissing them as the work of extremists.
As the war continues to leave a trail of destruction, Moustafa’s organization remains focused on documenting the evidence of such atrocities. The discovery of this mass grave serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
