Mass Graves Reportedly Discovered Near Damascus

Above: A mass grave is uncovered in the Baghdad Bridge area of Damascus, Syria as White Helmets to work in the area on Dec. 17, 2024. Image copyright: Emin Sansar/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Multiple mass graves have been discovered across Syria following the recent ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, with the largest site at al-Qutayfah, 25 miles (40 km) north of Damascus, potentially containing up to 100K bodies.

  • The Syrian Air Force intelligence was reportedly responsible for transferring bodies from military hospitals to mass grave locations, where bulldozer operators were forced to compress bodies to maximize space.


The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The systematic nature of mass killings and burials reveals a state-sponsored program of extermination, with evidence pointing to a coordinated effort involving military hospitals, intelligence branches, and disposal sites that operated continuously for years under Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship.

Establishment-critical narrative

The claims about mass graves are unverified allegations being used to justify the violent overthrow of a legitimate government, and the numbers cited are clearly speculative. Western media has made a sustained attempt to slander Syria's former government by whitewashing the crimes of anti-government forces and amplifying sensationalist headlines.


Metaculus Prediction


Public figures in this story


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO