Search teams have recovered 175 bodies from mass grave in the Damascus suburb of Otaiba, Syrian authorities confirmed.
The site was discovered earlier this week by residents who alerted officials. The remains are believed to include civilians and opposition fighters killed in a February 2014 ambush by forces loyal to then-president Bashar al-Assad, as people tried to flee the besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta.
Officials said only bodies near the surface had so far been removed. Amer Fahed, a commander with the White Helmets civil defence group, said excavation of the site would not begin until procedures are set by the National Commission for Missing Persons. Ammar al-Issa, an official with the commission, added that the number of victims could be higher, with estimates ranging between 200 and 300.
Families of the disappeared gathered at the site in search of clues. Some said they recognised clothing among the recovered belongings.
The discovery is one of several mass graves uncovered across Syria since Assad’s ouster in December 2024, when a rebel offensive ended his nearly 25-year rule and the Baath Party’s decades-long dominance.
Syria’s interim government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, established the National Commission for Missing Persons in May to investigate cases of detention and disappearance. Rights groups estimate that about 150,000 people were detained or went missing between 2011 and 2024, many of them feared to be buried in unmarked graves.
Families of the disappeared continue to stage demonstrations demanding accountability and faster progress in uncovering the fate of their loved ones.
The 43rd session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference has opened in Samarkand, bringing...
Families gathered at a morgue in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday to identify loved ones killed in what has become Brazil’s deadliest police operation, wh...
Egypt will open the long-delayed $1 billion (about £820 million) Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday, unveiling the world’s largest archaeological co...
The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a third day on Thursday night, killing two people, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency s...
Nvidia has announced a major partnership with the South Korean government and top companies to strengthen the country’s artificial intelligence capa...
The 43rd session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference has opened in Samarkand, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries.
Families gathered at a morgue in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday to identify loved ones killed in what has become Brazil’s deadliest police operation, while funerals were held for four officers who died during the raids.
Egypt will open the long-delayed $1 billion (about £820 million) Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday, unveiling the world’s largest archaeological complex dedicated to a single civilisation after more than 20 years of planning and construction.
Azerbaijan says the long-anticipated Zangezur Corridor project is nearing full completion along its border with Armenia, marking a major step in boosting regional connectivity.
Reliable sources have confirmed to AnewZ that the United States has asked Azerbaijan to join a Stabilisation Force in Gaza, as part of a proposed international mission to secure the territory.
Centrist liberal party D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, has made sweeping gains in the Dutch election, emerging neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in early results — a stunning reversal just two years after D66 ranked sixth.
Tanzanian police fired tear gas and live rounds on Thursday to disperse protesters in Dar es Salaam and other cities, a day after a disputed election marked by violence and claims of political repression, witnesses said.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
Families gathered at a morgue in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday to identify loved ones killed in what has become Brazil’s deadliest police operation, while funerals were held for four officers who died during the raids.
Torrential rain battered New York on Thursday, leaving two people dead, Mayor Eric Adams confirmed, as severe storms disrupted flights and prompted flood warnings across parts of the city.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced plans to introduce a pension top-up as part of a wider pre-election spending drive ahead of the 2026 national vote.
The United States’ participation at this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea has been “very strong and robust,” a senior U.S. official said on Friday, after President Donald Trump left before the start of the leaders’ meeting.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth began a round of talks with Asian counterparts on Friday at a defence summit in Malaysia, urging closer cooperation to counter China's growing assertiveness and signing a 10-year military pact with India.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment