Hundreds of civilians, detainees buried in mass graves in Assad's Third Division: sources

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Hundreds of of bodies, both of civilians and activists, have been buried in mass graves by the Syrian regime forces in the 3rd Armoured Division northeast of Damascus, well-informed sources told Zaman al-Wasl.

The headquarters of the powerful army base in Qutayfah town in the eastern Qalamoun region was the crime scene for gruesome killing carried out by Bashar al-Assad's forces against opposition detainees, activists and rebels. All were slaughtered and buried in a 5-hectare mass grave inside the base.

Satellite images, obtained by Zaman al-Wasl, show how the mass graves have been getting bigger and bigger inside the base which now controlled by Russians, Assad's key ally.

Many of the detainees were killed under torture, and others were summarily executed under the direct supervision of the Division’s security officer in 2011, Adnan Jamil Sulaiman who was promoted to the rank of Maj. Gen. and became the Division’s commander in 2015.

Lt. Col. Firas al-Jaza'a, who was entrusted with the command of the Qalamoun Shield Forces, which was formed as a successor to the sectarian regime Army in that region. Then, the task was taken by Brigadier General Mohammad Makhlouf, the new security head in the division.

Since the revolution erupted in 2011, more than 560,000 people have been killed, and more than 6 million people have been displaced.

The mass graves included the remains of people tortured to death in Sednaya military prison. Also, bodies of the local rebels in Qalamoun region who were arrested and killed inside the Division.

Officers responsible for the mass killing:

• Maj. Gen. Adnan Jamil Ismail, served as the security officer at the beginning of the revolution in 2011. He is the first official responsible for the execution of hundreds of detainees in the Division’s prison, and then he has continued his crime after being appointed as a commander of the Third Brigade, replacing Maj. Gen. Louai Ma’ala.

• Major General Louay Ma’ala is responsible for the executions between 2013 and 2015

• Major General Salim Rashid Barakat: Responsible for the executions until September 2013.

• Brigadier General Mohammed Makhlouf: Security officer of the Division, continued the march of criminality on his predecessor Adnan Ismail.

• Lt. Col. Firas Al-Jaza'a, the right hand of Ismail and the commander of Qalamoun Shield Forces.