Syria: 1400 bodies found in the largest mass grave of Daesh victims in Raqqa

Sputnik News
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 10:00 UTC

© AP Photo

Bodies of some 1,400 people killed by the Daesh* terrorist group have been found in a mass grave in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the head of Damascus-based Syrian Human Rights Network Ahmad Kazem told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"The biggest mass grave with 1,400 bodies has been found in Panorama area in Raqqa. Daesh terrorists did it," Kazem said.

Most of the victims are those accused by Daesh militants of having ties with the Syrian government and armed forces, according to Kazem. Among them are women, children, and military personnel.

It is not the first such discovery in Raqqa, but it is the largest mass grave found in the city so far.

The military campaign to recapture Raqqa was launched in June 2016 by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US-led coalition. A year later, the campaign culminated in the Battle of Raqqa, which put the SDF in total control of the city. As a result of the fighting and massive airstrikes, the city was completely destroyed. According to the United Nations, the humanitarian situation in the city remains disastrous.

Comment: See also:

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• Syria: Mass grave with over 150 ISIL victims uncovered in rural Raqqa