A further three human skulls were found on Monday during excavations in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, bringing the total number found in the historic İçkale neighborhood over the past few weeks to 29.

The skulls were discovered during ongoing excavations involving a team of 20 forensic experts under the direction of the Diyarbakır Governor's Office.

A large number of bone fragments and skulls were inadvertently discovered last month by laborers laying pipes close to the former headquarters of JİTEM, a clandestine gendarmerie intelligence organization that is believed to have been responsible for thousands of unsolved murders in eastern and southeastern Turkey in the '90s.

The intensive excavations in the area over the past few weeks have raised hopes that light will be shed on some of the unsolved murders that took place during this dark period. Hundreds of people are said to have been tortured at JİTEM headquarters.

Although İçkale was known to be one of JİTEM's execution sites, no excavations in search of human remains were permitted in the area before the discovery because it had been designated as an historic site. The bone fragments and skulls that were unearthed last month have been transported under high security to the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) in İstanbul, where DNA tests are being carried out.

The three skulls have not yet been excavated due to the risk posed to the remains by recent heavy snow.

Cihan