The Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based anti-Assad advocacy group announced on Monday, Dec. 16, the discovery of a mass grave just north of Damascus filled with at least 100,000 corpses killed by former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s government. Mouaz Moustafa, the head of the advocacy group, said it’s just one of five mass graves he’s found over the years.
Moustafa said he believes 100,000 corpses is “the most conservative estimate,” alleging that there are likely more mass graves than the five sites. He also said these include the remains of U.S., British and other foreign citizens.
Moustafa told Reuters the evidence is based on the testimonies of workers who escaped Syria, accusing the intelligence branch of the Syrian air force of being in charge of transporting the bodies to mass graves after the victims died from torture.
The advocacy group also said the grave sites are unsecured and need to be preserved for evidence in future investigations.
Assad is reportedly estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians since 2011. The regime launched a crackdown on protests against his rule, which eventually grew into a civil war.
Assad, who escaped to Moscow, denied any allegations of human rights violations. The Assad family ruled Syria for nearly 60 years and is accused of torture and mass executions of prisoners.