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New mass grave of 150 bodies unearthed in Syria’s Palmyra

Monday, 30 May 2016 5:46 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 30 May 2016 5:46 AM ]

Members of the Syrian army patrol the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, May 6, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

A new mass grave containing the bodies of 150 people believed to have been killed and tortured by Daesh terrorists has been found in the recently-liberated Syrian city of Palmyra.

The mass grave, the second largest of its kind in the city, was discovered a few days ago near Palmyra Airport’s runway during restoration works.

“It is the second large mass grave… As for other smaller ones, they are found in Palmyra every ten to 15 days. It is the sixth burial site in Palmyra, but the second mass grave,” Artur Kebekov, a reporter for Russia’s LifeNews, said.

A preliminary examination showed that the corpses had gunshot injuries and marks of torture on them.

“All those people were executed and had gunshot wounds,” Kebekov added, highlighting that the mass grave has not been a place of public mass executions and was most likely a secret site.

The Syrian army, backed by popular forces and a wave of Russian air strikes, retook the ancient city of Palmyra from Daesh on March 27 following weeks of military operations against the Takfiri group.

The city, located in the Homs Province, had fallen to Daesh in May 2015.

Since its liberation, graves have been discovered in the city as workers continue the repair work aimed at demolishing terrorist fortifications and restoring historical sites.

A mass grave was uncovered by Syrian forces in the northeastern parts of Palmyra on April 1. The grave contained the bodies of 42 people, including women and children, who were killed by Daesh.

According to reports, Daesh committed a massacre in Palmyra on May 24, 2015, leaving at least 400 people dead, most of them women, children and elderly people.

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