Trump Administration says Syria is Executing Thousands and Cremating the Bodies

A secret crematorium built inside the Sednaya military prison near Damascus is disposing of thousands of prisoners executed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, The Washington Post reports.

In a special briefing, Stuart Jones, acting assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, released the information, citing human rights groups, NGOs and intelligence sources. He also distributed pictures of the site.

Some 50 prisoners a day are executed at Sedenya, which Amnesty International has called a "human slaughterhouse" where thousands have been taken for execution.

Jones also said Assad's supporters, Iran and Russia, are not interfering with the operation.

Russia "has either aided in or passively looked away as the regime" carried out mass murder and other war crimes such as attacking medical facilities and using chemical weapons on the civilian population.

Jones told reporters that Secretary of State Tillerson has warned Russia to "exercise its great influence" over Assad to end the atrocities.