25 bodies recovered from a mass grave near Damascus, site believed to hold at least 175

Published connected 20/09/2025 - 8:29 GMT+2 •Updated 8:31

Search teams pulled 25 bodies retired of a wide sedate connected Friday successful a suburb of Damascus. It is believed that nan tract contains astatine slightest 175 bodies, officials said.

The bodies were recovered successful an cultivation section successful nan suburb of Otaiba, and according to authorities, they belonged to group who had been killed successful an ambush by nan forces of then-President Bashar Assad arsenic they were fleeing nan besieged enclave of eastbound Ghouta, which was past nether nan power of guidance forces.

It is 1 of nan latest grim remnants to aboveground from nan country's astir 14-year civilian warfare that ended pinch nan ouster of erstwhile President Bashar Assad successful a lightning rebel violative successful December.

Family members pinch missing loved ones came to nan tract successful hopes of uncovering answers. Among them was Samira Alloush, who was looking for her son, Anas Ahmad Alloush, who had been among those besieged successful Ghouta. He was 19 erstwhile he went missing successful 2014.

His mother had held retired dream that he would move retired to beryllium live and successful situation and that he would resurface erstwhile nan prisons were emptied aft Assad's fall. However, among nan dirt-encrusted apparel connected nan ground, she recognised her son's jacket.

"I had dream that he would travel retired of situation and we would beryllium together again," she said pinch tears.

Amer Fahed, commandant of operations successful nan Damascus countryside for nan civilian defence group known arsenic nan White Helmets, said that they will not yet statesman to excavate aliases exhume nan wide sedate until a circumstantial system is wished by nan National Commission for Missing Persons.

The assemblage count could beryllium higher

Ammar Al-Issa, an charismatic pinch nan missing persons' committee who was coming astatine nan scene, said nan number of bodies could beryllium higher, arsenic 200 to 300 group were believed to person been killed successful nan February 2014 ambush.

Hundreds of bodies person been recovered successful wide graves scattered astir nan state since Assad's fall, but galore much apt stay to beryllium uncovered.

An estimated 150,000 group were detained aliases went missing successful Syria since 2011, erstwhile wide anti-government protests were met by a sadistic crackdown and spiralled into civilian war. Many of them are apt buried successful unmarked wide graves.