Syria's Lost Souls: The Push to Find the Missing

A UN body is collaborating with a new Syrian commission to investigate the disappearances of up to 300,000 people in Syria. The effort follows the overthrow of President Assad. Coordination with Syrian entities and international cooperation are key to uncovering the fate of the missing.

A UN agency is intensifying efforts to collaborate with a new Syrian commission to address the mysterious disappearances of potentially hundreds of thousands of people in Syria. The initiative follows the recent overthrow of President Bashar Assad, who had ruled for over five decades.

With estimates of the missing ranging from 120,000 to 300,000 and possibly more, the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria is striving to solve cases involving forcible disappearances attributed to the Assad regime and the Islamic State, as well as children placed into orphanages by state security.

Efforts include developing a registry for the missing, forging a forensic network, and establishing cooperation with countries whose citizens are affected. The focus remains on delivering answers to families swiftly as time is of the essence.

(With inputs from agencies.)