Mass grave found near Damascus International Airport
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian authorities announced on Thursday the discovery of a mass grave in a farm area near Damascus International Airport, according to government media outlets.
The reports said that the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, in coordination with the National Board for Missing Persons, responded to a report submitted by a Syrian national who recently returned from the Netherlands. The man informed officials that he had found human remains on his private property, located close to the airport’s perimeter.
The digital protection directorate in Syria stated on the social media platform X that the grave contained the remains of several unidentified individuals. Preliminary assessments suggest the victims may date back to the period of the former government, though no official confirmation has yet been released.
Local teams from the emergency and forensic departments have reportedly begun excavation and documentation of the site under supervision of the judiciary and the Board for Missing Persons. Authorities have not disclosed the total number of bodies found, saying investigations are ongoing to identify the remains through DNA analysis and other forensic procedures.
The discovery has drawn attention amid continuing efforts by Syrian institutions and humanitarian bodies to locate thousands of people reported missing during earlier stages of the conflict. The National Board for Missing Persons, established in recent years, has taken the lead in investigating such cases in coordination with relevant ministries.