The Syrian civil defense, known as the White Helmets, has unearthed the remains of at least 26 victims in two basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to a growing number of mass graves found since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime. The remains show signs of gunshot wounds and burning.
The Syrian civil defense, known as the White Helmets, has unearthed the remains of at least 26 victims in two separate basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing number of mass graves found since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in December. The charred remains, believed to include men, women, and children, exhibit signs of gunshot wounds and burning. Members of the White Helmets meticulously exhumed the fragmented, weathered skeletal remains.
They carefully logged and coded each set of remains before placing them into body bags for transport. Since November 28th, the White Helmets have uncovered over 780 bodies, most of unknown identity, according to Abed al-Rahman Mawwas, a member of the rescue service. Many have been found in shallow graves unearthed by locals or disturbed by animals. The bodies are transferred to forensics doctors to determine identities, time of death, cause of death, and potential matches with family members.Mohammad al-Herafe, a resident of one of the buildings where remains were discovered, described the overpowering stench of decaying bodies when his family returned to Sbeneh in 2016 after fleeing the fighting during the Syrian civil war. He said they found the bodies in the basement but chose to remain silent out of fear of government reprisals. 'We could not tell the regime about it because we knew the regime did this,' he stated. Ammar al-Salmo, another Civil Defense member, emphasized the need for further investigation to identify the victims. 'We need testimonies from residents and others who might know who stayed behind when the fighting intensified in 2013,' he explained. Mohammad Shebat, a former resident of the second building, recounted leaving in 2012 and returning in 2020, when he and his neighbors discovered the bodies and demanded their removal. However, he claimed no one cooperated. Shebat believes the victims were civilians who fled the nearby Al-Assali neighborhood when fighting escalated and the Assad government imposed a siege in 2013. He alleged that Assad's forces used to 'trap people in basements, burn them with tires, and leave their bodies.'
SYRIA CIVIL WAR MASS GRAVES WHITE HELMETS BASHAR ASSAD HUMAN RIGHTS FORENSICS UNITED NATIONS
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