The local newspaper al-Jisr published the results of investigation revealing for first time the atrocities that the militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) committed against civilians, including women and children, during the final assault on the town of al-Bagouz, ISIS’s last stronghold in eastern Syria.
The newspaper said that concrete video evidence indicated that the PYD militia committed two massacres in the town last March. The first massacre was caused by heavy artillery and airstrike by the international coalition aircraft. The second massacre, the focus of the investigation, was carried out with small arms and claimed the lives of whole families, including an infant who was shot in the head.
The massacre was deliberate and premediated, the newspaper said, adding that the bodies of the victims did not show signs of wounds resulting from shelling or acts of self-defense.
According to the newspaper, the massacre claimed the lives of 236 people, including 162 women and children. The videos obtained by the newspaper showed how 10 people were cold-bloodily executed in two different places.
The newspaper went on to say that its extensive investigation revealed that the PYD military commanders known as Rivas, Ozan, Bashur, and Agri took part in these crimes. It noted that some of those commanders came from Qandil Mountains, in reference to the PKK terrorist group. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
