Reuters Uncovers a Secret Mass Grave in the Syrian Desert
In this 2019 file photo, workers dig for bodies at the site of a mass grave in Raqqa, Syria. The Reuters investigation has uncovered a different site. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)
A Reuters investigation has revealed a secretive operation by the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad involving the relocation of thousands of bodies from a mass grave near Damascus to a much larger, concealed site in the Syrian desert. Dubbed “Operation Move Earth,” the operation took place between 2019 and 2021, and appears to have aimed at concealing evidence of mass killings as Assad sought to improve his international image.
The original grave, located in the town of Qutayfah, had been exposed by activists during Syria’s civil war and was considered one of the country’s largest, containing victims who had died in prison, under interrogation, or in battle.
According to witnesses and satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters, the Assad government exhumed Qutayfah and transported the remains—including soil and maggots—by truck convoy to a new site at a military installation near the desert town of Dhumair. The transfer was overseen by a colonel nicknamed the “master of cleansing,” Mazen Ismandar.
The new burial site features at least 34 trenches stretching over a mile across the desert and is believed to contain tens of thousands of bodies. Although the operation was intended to remain secret, the stench of decay made it an “open secret” among local residents. Reuters is withholding the exact location to prevent intrusion until it can be properly secured.
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