Uncovered in Syria: a large burial pit linked to the 2014 ambush site
In a shocking development, the transitional authorities of Syria have discovered a mass grave containing at least 170 bodies near the town of Al Otaiba. The human remains were buried in a long trench using heavy machinery in an area thickly covered with mud and reeds. Judge Mohammed Omar Hajar stated that authorities were alerted to the human remains by a shepherd.
The bodies are believed to be those of people killed in an ambush in 2014, while trying to flee the siege of Eastern Ghouta. The ambush near Al Otaiba was previously attributed to the Islamic State (ISIS). However, the Assad regime and Iran-backed militias, including Hezbollah, have claimed that the ambush was carried out by Hezbollah operatives against fighters from the Nusra Front.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, who led the Nusra Front before it evolved into Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, was at the helm during the rebellion that toppled the Assad regime in December. Hezbollah, led by Naim Qassem, fought on behalf of the Assad government during the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.
Hezbollah has been accused of working with traffickers of drugs and weapons at the Lebanese border by the Al Shara government. In a surprising turn of events, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem initially signalled an open mind towards Syria's new rulers.
The siege of Eastern Ghouta was notorious for the use of chemical weapons by the forces loyal to Bashar Al Assad, who was the president at the time. The Syrian authorities have launched an investigation into the matter and are working to recover the bodies and enable families to identify loved ones.
The Syrian Human Rights Committee has cast doubts on these claims, while officials seized rocket launchers and ammunition from a cell plotting attacks inside Syria last week. As the investigation continues, about 150,000 people remain unaccounted for as a result of the Syrian civil war, according to the International Commission on Missing Persons.
The discovery of the mass grave serves as a grim reminder of the atrocities committed during the Syrian conflict. Judge Hajar stated that the crime represents one of the most heinous crimes ever committed against civilians. The ongoing investigation aims to bring justice to the victims and their families, and to shed light on the truth behind the ambush near Al Otaiba in 2014.
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