The Syrian government has buried thousands of people in mass graves, according to a group of rescuers from the White Helmets humanitarian organization. The remains of seven civilians were recently found in the suburb of Adra, with DNA samples collected and sent for further analysis.
Ismael Abdullah, one of the rescuers, said they are carrying a heavy burden as they try to uncover the truth about what happened to the missing thousands. “It is going to take time – a lot of it – to get anywhere near the truth,” he said.
More than 100,000 people are thought to have disappeared in Syria since 2011, with rights groups concluding that over 80,000 are dead and another 60,000 were tortured to death. The Syrian Emergency Task Force has identified several mass graves across the country, including one believed to contain at least 100,000 bodies.
International experts are needed to help locate and protect these mass graves and identify the bodies they contain. Local residents have reported numerous locations of mass graves, and human rights groups are urging action to be taken.
The discovery of these mass graves highlights the need for urgent international assistance in uncovering the truth about Syria’s civil war victims.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj90wz8weymo