According to Amnesty International, a human rights group, around 13,000 people have been secretly executed by the Syrian government. They claim there is a secret prison known as Saydnaya located just north of Damascus, the capital. These reports are part of a year long investigation and consists of information coming from 84 witnesses, including security guards, detainees, judges, and lawyers. Michael Meyer, senior, said, “This is a terrible thing, and our government or somebody in the world needs to do something about this.” Amnesty International said that these executions are aimed at people who are in opposition to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Jordyn Haessler, senior, said, “These are mass killings of innocent people, and these people need to be taken in for their crimes.” Amnesty International explained how people are being taken to a building within the prison in the middle of the night where they are hanged after fake trials. “The judge will ask the name of the detainee and whether he committed the crime. Whether the answer is yes or no he will be convicted. This court has no relation with the rule of the law. This is not a court.”

The war continued throughout the country as well. U.S. officials said on Monday, Feb. 6 and Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Russians launched the largest missile bombardment in the country to date. About fifty ballistic missiles were launched to the coastal city of Tartous.

In Al-Bab, there was a friendly fire incident between Russian and Turkish forces. Reports said a Russian warplane accidentally dropped bombs on a building with Turkish soldiers inside during a battle against the Islamic State. The Turkish military reported three dead and eleven wounded from the incident. The Russian and Turkish military are running a joint investigation of the incident.