19 skulls found in southeastern Turkey

ICKALE, Turkey, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Investigators have discovered even more human skulls in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir, officials say.

The total of 19 skulls that have been found are thought to belong to victims of the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Fight against Terrorism, a clandestine intelligence organization referred to as JITEM believed to be responsible for thousands of unsolved murders in eastern and southeastern parts of the country during the 1990s.

Initially, several other skulls and a number of bone fragments were discovered by laborers last week in Diyarbakir's Ickale neighborhood, the former location of the JITEM headquarters. The number of skulls found has grown since then.

Today's Zaman reported Monday hundreds of people were tortured at JITEM headquarters, and Ickale was known to be one of the group's execution sites. However, in 1999, most parts of the neighborhood were handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and excavations for human remains were prohibited because it was considered a historic site.