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Report: Assad Secretly Moved Thousands of Bodies in Cover-Up
Operation Move Earth secretly relocated thousands of bodies from Qutayfah to a desert site to hide war crimes, complicating identification for families of over 160,000 missing people.
- Between 2019 and 2021, Operation Move Earth exhumed and moved thousands of bodies from Qutayfah to a desert site outside Dhumair, Reuters found using eyewitness accounts and satellite imagery.
- The plan originated in late 2018 and Assad's military ordered the transfer to erase evidence of mass killings and improve the regime's international image.
- Drivers and mechanics recalled near-nightly trips of six to eight trucks carrying dirt and human remains for over two years to the Dhumair site, which has at least 34 trenches stretching nearly 2 kilometers.
- By the time the regime fell in December 2024, all 16 trenches at Qutayfah had been emptied, and the National Commission for Missing People plans a DNA bank but lacks forensic experts and resources.
- More than 160,000 people remain missing after disappearing into Assad's security apparatus, and experts say forensic teams and DNA analysts will need systematic excavation to identify victims.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources42
Leaning Left10Leaning Right5Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 25%
R 25%
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