Syria’s new government has ordered troops to guard a remote desert military site east of Damascus after a Reuters investigation revealed it was used to conceal thousands of bodies under former president Bashar al-Assad. The site in the Dhumair desert was central to a covert operation known as “Operation Move Earth,” in which bodies were exhumed from a mass grave near Damascus and secretly reburied at a former military installation to erase evidence of atrocities committed during Assad’s rule.
Why It Matters
The move marks one of the clearest steps yet by post-Assad authorities to confront crimes linked to the fallen dictatorship. Securing the site and opening a criminal investigation signals an attempt to preserve evidence, pursue accountability and address the fate of tens of thousands of Syrians who disappeared during the war. It also underscores how systematic efforts were made to hide mass killings at a time when Assad sought to regain international legitimacy.
The Syrian military and police are now guarding and investigating the site, while prosecutors are cross-referencing suspects linked to the operation with documents seized after Assad’s fall. Survivors’ families and victims of enforced disappearances are represented by the newly formed National Commission for Missing Persons, which is preparing for future exhumations. Former regime officials implicated in the operation, including military logistics figures, face potential prosecution.
What’s Next
Authorities have restricted access to the Dhumair site and referred investigation findings to a district prosecutor, with inquiries ongoing into suspects inside and outside Syria. Formal exhumations of the mass grave are planned for 2027, once forensic teams and laboratories meet international standards. Until then, securing the site will be critical to preserving evidence as Syria begins the long process of reckoning with Assad-era crimes.
With information from Reuters.
