U.S. Releases Evidence of Operational Crematorium in Saydnaya Prison

The United States has accused the Syrian government of building and operating a crematorium at Saydnaya military prison, roughly 20 miles outside Damascus, in “an effort to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place” at the government-run detention center, the U.S. State Department said.

The State Department released aerial images of Saydnaya and other “newly declassified information” that it said showed modifications on one building at Saydnaya beginning in 2013 to turn it into a crematorium, “which could dispose of detainees’ remains with little evidence,” Stuart Jones, acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

This new information follows the release of an Amnesty International report in February, which described a systematic policy of mass executions, torture and deprivation at Saydnaya, sanctioned by high-level government officials. The report claimed that between 20 to 50 people were hanged once or twice a week, and between 5,000 and 13,000 prisoners were executed in total from 2011 to 2015. Amnesty did not officially confirm the presence of the crematorium.

U.S. Coalition-Led Forces Deny Responsibility for Civilian Casualties

The U.S.-led coalition has denied reports that its forces carried out on Monday airstrikes on the Syrian town of al-Bukamal, which are believed to have resulted in the deaths of more than 23 civilians.

Accusations of the coalition’s responsibility comes from local activists, who claim that forces approached eastward from Iraq, reported the Financial Times.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited local sources, including activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, which claimed that dozens had been killed in airstrikes on areas under ISIS control on Sunday and Monday, including 12 women in the town of Akayrshi, approximately 10 miles (16km) away from Raqqa.

The coalition acknowledged it conducted airstrikes on Sunday near Akayrshi, but the impact assessment is ongoing and it has not claimed responsibility for the resulting deaths, reported Al Jazeera.

At least six other civilians were killed on Monday in Rukban, near the Jordanian border, where approximately 75,000 refugees are camped out, when two car bombs exploded; one detonated near a restaurant and the other at a market, according to Al Jazeera.

After an initial period of silence, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks without providing further details, Reuters reported.

Sixth Round of Geneva Peace Talks Commence

Peace talks mediated by U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura began in Geneva on Tuesday, less than two weeks after Turkey, Russia and Iran signed a proposal for Syrian “de-escalation zones” following talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Turkey, Russia and Iran are expected to set specific boundaries for the de-escalation zones on June 4.

De Mistura affirmed that these talks will complement the ones in Astana, and will focus on the “four baskets,” which include a transitional government, the drafting of a constitution, the establishment of parliamentary elections and continued coordination in the fight against terrorism, reported the Guardian.

Over the weekend, President Bashar al-Assad said the Geneva talks were “merely a meeting for the media” and that real progress was made in Astana. In response, de Mistura pointed to the 18-person delegation led by Syrian ambassador to the U.N., Bashar al-Jaafari, as proof of the regime’s seriousness and commitment to the process.

The Syrian opposition is represented in Geneva by the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) based out of Riyadh. On Tuesday, HNC delegation head Nasr al-Hariri reiterated the opposition’s stance that there can be no role for Assad in the political settlement, and supported the recent U.S. accusation that the Syrian government built a crematorium at Saydnaya prison, according to the Local.

Potentially complicating these talks, pro-government fighters are now within 15 miles (24km) of a training base operated by American and British special forces, the Telegraph reported. Along with Russian air power, the fighters are advancing along the eastern Syrian front, where Western-backed fighters are currently fighting ISIS.

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• Muftah: Yassin al Haj Saleh on Syria and the Three Impossibilities
• Politico: Obama: Not Bombing Syria ‘Required the Most Political Courage’