https://arab.news/47kz7
- Aseel Khattab disappeared after leaving home to visit a nearby grocery store
- Syrian authorities say 2 suspects have been detained amid demands for accountability
LONDON: The death of a 7-year-old girl who vanished in Dumair, a city in the Syrian Arab Republic’s Rif Dimashq province, is the latest in a series of cases involving missing girls found dead, heightening concerns over child safety in the war-weary country and prompting calls for accountability.
Aseel Khattab was reported missing on Aug. 18, after leaving her home in Dumair to buy items from a nearby grocery store, according to local reports. Her body was later found in an abandoned apartment.
The discovery followed search efforts by residents and neighborhood volunteers in the days after Khattab disappeared. Locals said her body was not found until Thursday despite those efforts.
Aseel Khattab, 7, is the fourth child to disappear and later be found dead in less than two months. (Facebook)
On Saturday, Syrian authorities announced the arrest of people allegedly involved in her killing, the state-run SANA news agency reported. Syria TV said Internal Security teams detained two suspects and that investigators were questioning them to establish the circumstances and motive behind the crime.
Authorities have not yet identified the detainees or disclosed their relationship to Khattab. They also have not released final forensic findings on the cause of death as the investigation continues.
Later Saturday, Khattab’s relatives and Dumair residents held a sit-in outside the city’s police station, expressing solidarity with her family and calling for swift justice and accountability for those responsible.
The case follows the killings of several other girls who disappeared in late July and early August, including Ghala Khamis Al-Saleh Al-Khamis, Farah Al-Hammoud and Nour Muhannad Al-Dous, renewing concern over the safety of children in Syria.