A drone view of the mass grave site in the desert near the town of Al-Dumayr in eastern Syria on February 27, 2025. Photo: Khalil Al-Ashawi - Reuters.
Syria opens inquiry after mass grave discovery by Reuters
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- Syria launches investigation into mass grave from Assad era after Reuters report.
- Military site in Al-Dumayr placed under guard; authorities aim to secure evidence and prevent tampering.
The Syrian government has ordered army troops to guard a mass grave in Al-Dumayr and opened a criminal investigation following a Reuters report exposing a covert operation by the former Assad regime to hide thousands of bodies in a remote desert site.
The site, located east of Damascus, previously served as a weapons depot. In 2018, it was emptied of personnel to ensure secrecy during the operation, dubbed “Operation Soil Transfer”, which involved moving corpses from a mass grave on Damascus’s outskirts to the Al-Dumayr facility.
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A former army officer familiar with the operation said the military facility resumed activity in November, seven years after being abandoned. Security has now been tightened, with checkpoints and entry permits required from the Ministry of Defense. Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show renewed vehicle activity around the base.
Police in Al-Dumayr, led by station chief Jalal Tabsh, opened a formal investigation in November, photographing the site, mapping the area, and interviewing witnesses, including Ahmed Ghazal, a mechanic who helped maintain trucks transporting remains.
The National Authority for the Missing, established after Assad’s removal to investigate tens of thousands of disappearances, confirmed plans to begin exhumations from several mass graves in 2027.
The report also identified Colonel Mazen Ismandar as the officer primarily responsible for logistics during “Operation Soil Transfer”, which moved bodies weekly over a two-year period from 2019 to 2021. Reuters corroborated the operation using interviews with 13 sources, over 500 satellite images, and drone footage analyzed by forensic geology experts.
The investigation into the Al-Dumayr site is ongoing, with documents being reviewed to identify suspects involved in the cover-up both inside and outside Syria. The Ministry of Information has not responded to requests for comment on the reopening of the military facility or the mass grave probe.
