Locals in the northwest Syrian canton of Afrin have reported the discovery of a mass grave near a notorious prison run by a Turkish-backed rebel group, Hawar news agency (ANHA) reported on Tuesday.
ANHA quoted local sources who said the mass grave had been discovered near the village of Kafarjanah, which was until recently run by the Shamia Front, a jihadist group that forms part of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
Turkey seized control of the Afrin canton from Kurdish-led forces in 2018’s Operation Olive Branch.
In the years since, large parts of Afrin and the surrounding region have been held by Turkey’s Syrian rebel proxies from the SNA. A 2018 report by Amnesty International found that Turkey had been giving the groups “free rein to commit serious human rights abuses against civilians”.
Last week, rival jihadists from Tahrir al-Sham stormed the Afrin canton and seized large areas from Turkish-backed groups, including Kafarjanah village.