Mass grave found in building used by deposed Assad-regime in Syrian capital

By Ahmet Karaahmet, Ecem Sahinli Oguc and Seda Sevencan

DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL (AA) – A mass grave believed to contain the remains of civilians killed by the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime has been discovered in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Syrian Civil Defense teams discovered the grave in the basement of a building once used by the now-deposed regime to detain civilians.

Following the overthrow of the Baath regime, mass graves continue to be discovered during searches throughout the country.

Ammar al-Salmo, a Civil Defense member, said search teams entered the charred remains of the building after receiving a tip from a citizen.

Initial findings indicated that the remains of 20 people have been recovered, but al-Salmo warned that the figure could rise to 50.

Al-Salmo, who has observed signs, said the bodies had been burned with tires, as well as bullet impact traces on some bone fragments.

He also said bones believed to be from children were among the remains.

It is believed that many mass graves in Syria have yet to be discovered.

The objective is to identify the bodies found in these mass graves and determine the fate of the missing people.