Delve into the shocking revelations of a two-year covert operation by the Assad government, “Operation Move Earth,” which saw thousands of victims’ remains secretly moved from a known mass grave near Damascus to a remote desert site, exposing a desperate attempt to hide the scale of its wartime atrocities and evade international accountability.
A meticulous investigation by Reuters has brought to light a previously unreported, large-scale clandestine operation carried out by the Bashar al-Assad government. For two years, from 2019 to 2021, thousands of bodies were secretly moved from one of Syria’s largest known mass graves in Qutayfah to a new, enormous burial site deep within the Dhumair desert. This elaborate scheme, codenamed “Operation Move Earth,” was a desperate attempt to whitewash the regime’s image and conceal the full extent of its brutal killings during the devastating Syrian civil war.
The uncovering of this conspiracy provides unprecedented insight into the lengths to which the Assad military went to hide its crimes. Reuters meticulously pieced together the narrative by speaking with 13 individuals directly involved in the operation, reviewing official documents, and analyzing hundreds of satellite images taken over several years at both the Qutayfah and Dhumair locations.
Operation Move Earth: A Cover-Up of Monumental Scale
The operation to transfer bodies from Qutayfah, located on the outskirts of Damascus, to the remote desert outside Dhumair, more than an hour away, was a grueling and horrifying endeavor. Witnesses described four nights a week, nearly every week, from February 2019 to April 2021, during which six to eight trucks laden with dirt and human remains made the perilous journey. The stench, according to truckers, mechanics, a bulldozer operator, and a former officer from Assad’s elite Republican Guard, was unforgettable.
The original mass grave in Qutayfah was where Assad’s government began burying the dead around 2012, primarily soldiers and prisoners who perished in the regime’s notorious prisons and military hospitals. Its existence became publicly known in 2014 when a Syrian human rights activist released photos. By the time Assad’s regime fell late last year, all 16 trenches documented by Reuters at Qutayfah had been emptied.
The new grave site in Dhumair is staggering in its dimensions, featuring at least 34 trenches, each measuring 2 kilometers long. Witness accounts and the sheer scale of the new site suggest that it could hold the remains of tens of thousands of people, making it one of the most extensive graves created during the Syrian civil war.
The Regime’s Desperate Act: Why Assad Moved the Graves
The decision to move thousands of bodies was conceived in late 2018, a period when Bashar al-Assad believed he was nearing victory in the civil war. According to a former Republican Guard officer involved in the transfer, the dictator was desperate to regain international recognition, which had been severely eroded by years of sanctions and persistent allegations of brutality. At the time, Assad was already widely accused of detaining Syrians by the thousands, yet independent Syrian groups and international organizations lacked access to his prisons or the growing number of mass graves.
The military commanders explicitly told the truckers and the officer that the transfer’s sole purpose was to clear out the Qutayfah mass grave and eliminate evidence of mass killings. For those involved, non-compliance was not an option. As one driver starkly put it, “No one would disobey the orders. You yourself might end up in the holes.” This chilling reality underscores the climate of fear under Assad’s rule, where speaking out meant certain death.
A Legacy of Disappearance: The Human Cost of Secret Burials
The full extent of human loss under the Assad regime is devastating. Syrian rights groups estimate that more than 160,000 people disappeared into the deposed dictator’s vast security apparatus, with many believed to be buried in the dozens of mass graves created throughout the conflict. The haphazard transfer of bodies, like “Operation Move Earth” from Qutayfah to Dhumair, further complicates the already agonizing search for answers for grieving families.
Mohamed Al Abdallah, head of the Syria Justice and Accountability Center (SJAC), highlighted the catastrophic implications of such transfers. He stated that “piecing these bodies together so complete remains can be returned to families will be extremely complicated,” a sentiment echoed in an SJAC report detailing the significant obstacles to accountability and recovery presented by mass graves in Syria. This makes the already challenging task of identifying victims nearly impossible, prolonging the suffering of thousands of families.
The consistent pattern of mass arrests, deaths in detention, and torture under the Syrian regime has been extensively documented by organizations like Human Rights Watch. Their reports underscore the systemic nature of these abuses, which necessitated the creation of numerous mass graves. With few resources available in Syria, even well-known mass graves often remain unprotected and unexcavated, further hindering efforts to identify the missing and bring closure to their loved ones.
The New Government’s Stance and the Path to Accountability
The country’s new leaders, who overthrew Assad in December, face an immense challenge. Despite repeated calls from the families of the missing, they have yet to release comprehensive documentation about the individuals buried in these graves. Reuters did inform the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa about its investigation findings, but received no immediate response.
Mohammed Reda Jeh Lki, head of the government’s National Commission for Missing People, acknowledged the monumental task ahead. He described the situation as “a bleeding wound as long as there are mothers waiting to find the graves of their sons, wives waiting to find the graves of their husbands, and children waiting to find the graves of their fathers.” The sheer number of victims and the urgent need to rebuild a broken justice system severely impede progress.
Despite these challenges, the commission has announced promising plans, including the creation of a DNA bank and a centralized digital platform for families of the missing. There is also a recognized need to train specialists in forensic medicine and DNA testing. Mohamed Al Abdallah of SJAC, while noting the commission has political support, emphasized that it “still lacks the resources and the experts” necessary to fully address this harrowing issue.
The exposure of “Operation Move Earth” underscores the profound and lasting impact of Assad’s brutality on Syria. While the task of uncovering the full truth and achieving justice is daunting, investigations like these are crucial for holding perpetrators accountable and providing some measure of closure to the countless families still searching for their loved ones. The journey toward healing and reconciliation in Syria will inevitably be long, but it begins with confronting these buried truths.
