Published on, Aug. 19 -- August 19, 2025 11:59 AM

Syria's newly established commission for missing persons revealed that more than 300,000 people may have gone missing since the 1970s, during decades of Assad family rule and the devastating civil war.

Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, the commission's head, said the mandate covers the period beginning in 1970, when Hafez al-Assad seized power, and continues until today. He emphasized that the investigation has no set timeframe.

Jalkhi explained that initial estimates suggest between 120,000 and 300,000 missing persons, possibly even higher. He added that authorities are creating a national database to document and trace the disappeared.

During Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011, tens of tho...