When Assad's militias burned displaced people alive with tires and gasoline: Footage shown for the first time

Zaman al-Wasl obtained exclusive footage documenting the killing and burning of more than 45 people by the National Defense militia in the al-Maksar area of ​​Deir Atiyah in the Damascus countryside in late 2013.

The massacre, perpetrated by forces allied with the former Syrian regime, remained hidden for years. It targeted displaced people who had fled the deadly fires in Homs to the Qalamoun region, only to find death in the place where they had taken refuge.

The massacre was carried out by members of the National Defense Forces in Homs, led by Saqr Rustum, who was promoted after the massacre to the position of Secretary-General of the National Defense, a clear indication of the reward-for-murder approach within the former regime's system.

The recordings reveal horrific scenes of corpses being burned inside the homes where the displaced had taken refuge, and in the streets of the al-Maksar area, using old car tires and gasoline in a mass burning.

This is a well-known tactic adopted by regime militias and their affiliated sectarian militias in more than one area, with the aim of obliterating the identities of the victims and concealing the crime.

According to the source who obtained the recordings, some of the victims were burned alive after being trapped inside their homes, doused with gasoline, and set alight with tires.

Among the victims were women and children, whose identities were never known. Some residents of Deir Atiyah collected the charred bodies, prayed over them, and buried them in a mass grave in the city's cemetery. No investigation was opened or the incident officially recorded.

Zaman al-Wasl will later publish dozens of exclusive photos documenting the aftermath of the crime, including scenes of the burned bodies and the scenes where the massacre occurred. This is an attempt to restore justice to the forgotten victims and reveal the identities of the killers.

These recordings open the door to re-shedding light on the massacres committed by the "National Defense Forces," which was established as an auxiliary arm of the regime's security services, led by Fadi Saqr, to carry out their dirty work without accountability.