Civilians wandered the banks of a Syrian canal, trying to identify some of the 78 young men who were found after being executed and thrown into a river near Aleppo.

It was not clear which party was behind the massacre. Rebels blamed Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but state media said that a jihadi Islamist opposition faction had carried out the killings.

“It seems that the consensus from activists is that people loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are responsible,” said Laila Rafi, a junior at Carlmont.

A majority of the men were killed with their hands tied behind their backs and a single gunshot to the head.

Rafi also said, “To be honest, I’m not entirely surprised. Of course, I think it’s despicable, but these things happen quite often under the rule of Bashar and whether it be at his hand or at the hand of others, it’s happening.”

This violence doesn’t only happening in Syria, it’s happening in many Eastern countries without much western acknowledgement.

Whatever the truth, the killings added to an atmosphere of despair as the UN and Arab League diplomat arrived in New York to brief the Security Council.

In the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, it was said the 78 bodies had been retrieved from the Quweiq River and that 30 more were still in the water but out of reach.

The proof that terrible things of the sort happening is a tangible fact and not much, if anything is happening to help people in need of it in Syria.