The Media Line: Syrian Authorities Secure Desert Site Used To Conceal Mass Graves Under Assad  

Syrian Authorities Secure Desert Site Used To Conceal Mass Graves Under Assad  

By The Media Line Staff  

Syrian authorities have deployed troops to secure a remote desert military installation east of Damascus after investigators confirmed the site was used to hide thousands of bodies during the rule of Bashar Assad, according to a Reuters investigation.  

The location, in the Al-Dumayr desert, was identified as a key component of a covert effort known as “Operation Move Earth.” Under that operation, bodies were secretly exhumed from a mass grave near Damascus and transferred to a former military facility, where they were reburied in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence of widespread killings carried out during the war, Reuters reports.  

The new government has ordered the military and police to guard the area while a criminal investigation moves forward. Prosecutors are examining documents seized following Assad’s removal from power and are cross-referencing names tied to the operation with individuals believed to have played logistical or command roles in the concealment effort.  

Officials say restricting access to the site is intended to preserve physical evidence linked to enforced disappearances that affected tens of thousands of Syrians. The investigation has been referred to a district prosecutor, with inquiries continuing into suspects believed to be inside Syria as well as abroad.  

Families of the missing are being represented by the newly established National Commission for Missing Persons, which has been tasked with coordinating efforts related to victims of enforced disappearance. The commission is preparing for future forensic work and consultations with international experts, according to the report.  

Formal exhumations of the burial site are not expected to begin before 2027. Authorities said the delay reflects the need to build forensic capacity that meets international standards, including properly equipped laboratories and trained personnel capable of handling large-scale recovery and identification efforts.  

Until that process begins, securing the Al-Dumayr installation remains a priority, officials said, as Syria’s new leadership takes initial steps to address crimes linked to the former government. Investigators believe the systematic removal and reburial of bodies was part of a broader effort to eliminate traces of mass killing at a time when Assad was seeking to restore international standing.  

The decision to guard the site and pursue a criminal probe marks one of the most concrete actions taken so far by post-Assad authorities to preserve evidence and lay groundwork for accountability related to wartime atrocities.