The Third Division of the defunct Syrian regime army was notorious for its brutality, responsible for launching surface-to-surface missiles on areas such as Eastern Ghouta suburbs, its operations in the Damascus countryside, and its repressive checkpoint practices in Qalamoun region .
A military source revealed the existence of a secret mass grave within the division's compound, spanning an area of approximately fifty dunams, containing the remains of thousands of "disappeared" civilians and activists.
These victims died under torture in the division's prisons and other prisons, or were killed at the division's checkpoints and during raids.
Details of the mass grave:
- This is not a single grave, but rather several mass graves, located approximately 1,200 meters north of the division's headquarters. These graves are under heavy guard, and burials usually take place at night.
- Sources of corpses: These include Sednaya Prison (in coordination with Major General Adnan Ismail), the Third Division Prison (where hundreds were killed under torture, and there are accounts of liquidations by Firas al-Jaz'a), Division checkpoints (immediate field executions), martyrs from raids and confrontations (such as the Rankous and Asal al-Ward massacres), and other security branches (such as the al-Qatifah Security and Political Security detachments in Damascus).
- Dimensions of the cemetery and burials: The cemetery is 270 meters long and 158 meters wide (50 dunams). Longitudinal and transverse trenches were dug (160 meters long and 120 meters wide for the trenches), and bodies were dumped en masse into them at night and then filled in with bulldozers ("creeders"). The number buried is estimated to be in the thousands.
The main perpetrators of the crimes and the cemetery:
Among the officers, the most prominent are:
- Major General Adnan Jamil Ismail: The division's security officer in 2011, primarily responsible for hundreds of executions. He later became the division's commander (2015-present) and continued his crimes.
- Colonel Firas al-Jaz'a: Director of the division commander's office and commander of the Qalamoun Shield Forces. He was accused of carrying out hundreds of field executions and gloating over the deaths of detainees.
Major General Louay Maala: Former division commander (responsible for executions between 2013 and 2015).
- Major General Salim Rashid Barakat: Responsible for executions until September 2013.
- Brigadier General Muhammad Makhlouf: The division's security officer who succeeded Adnan Ismail, described as even more criminal.
Zaman Al Wasl
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