42 Bodies of Dead People Executed by ISIS Found in Syria
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Tags: aerial attacks on Syria, Archaeological Site of Palmyra, ISIS, Palmyra, Syria
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A chilling new discovery has been made at the ancient archaeological site of Palmyra with Syrian troops uncovering a shocking mass grave containing dozens of bodies including children.
The mutilated bodies of 42 civilians and soldiers executed by ISIS were found close to the city, a military source confirmed.
The victims were officers, soldiers, members of the ‘popular committees (pro-regime militia)’ and their relatives, according to AFP. 24 of the victims were civilians, including three children.
‘They were executed either by beheading or by shooting,’ the source said, before they were buried in the desert.
The bodies have been transferred to a military hospital in the provincial capital Homs and some have been identified, he added.
New photos show the Syrian army, backed by Russian forces, assessing the damage and keeping guard to the historic site.
Palmyra and its UNESCO-listed ruins, which IS had overrun in May 2015, was re-captured last Sunday and has been widely celebrated by supporters of the Assad regime.
During their nearly 10-month occupation of Palmyra, the jihadists executed at least 280 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor which confirmed the discovery of the mass grave.
The news comes as the Syrian opposition revealed they were not optimistic about upcoming peace talks in Geneva because there is no international will for a political transition, opposition member Riad Hijab told Al Araby Al Jadid television late on Friday.
The Syrian opposition has consistently said that it wants a halt in attacks on civilians and for the Geneva talks to result in a transitional governing body for Syria that does not include President Bashar al-Assad.
‘There is no international will, especially from the U.S. side, and I do not expect anything to come of the negotiations,’ said Hijab, the coordinator for the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), the main opposition bloc.
The HNC will attend the next round of talks, scheduled to start around April 9 in Geneva, Hijab said, but ‘I will be clear to our people: we have no optimism concerning the negotiations process.’
Assad has said he thinks the Geneva talks can produce a new Syrian government that includes opposition, independents and loyalists, but has explicitly rejected the idea of a transitional authority.
Russia and the United States disagree on Assad’s future but have jointly pressed the Syrian government and the opposition to attend the indirect peace talks in Geneva, which are being mediated by a United Nations envoy.
Activists have warned that the month-old ceasefire could collapse as fierce fighting erupted near the city of Aleppo.
The al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and other insurgents captured a strategic overlook from government forces south of Aleppo after weeks of government air raids.
The militant group along with other jihadis as well as more moderate factions, captured the village of Tel el-Ais early today.
The village overlooks a vital highway connecting Aleppo with the capital, Damascus.
The Nusra Front boasted of its offensive on social media, posting videos showing mortars and tanks firing on what is said to be government positions. Syria’s state news agency acknowledged fierce clashes in the area.
Both the Nusra Front and the Islamic State group are excluded from the cease-fire that began in late February.
