Security forces discovered a secret graveyard used by the PKK terrorist organization in Turkey’s eastern Bitlis province containing the remains of 261 terrorists.

The remains were found in the Garzan cemetery and were sent to the Forensics Institute for DNA analysis. Authorities then contacted the families of the deceased terrorists to inform them that they could pick up the remains from Kilyos cemetery in Istanbul.

However, a PKK-affiliated organization called DIAY-DER provoked the families by saying that the remains were buried under a sidewalk and the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the incident.

Upon inquiry, the prosecutor’s office found out that DIAY-DER had been operating in Esenyurt district and distributing propaganda for PKK terrorists through so-called imams.

Police detained 28 suspects, including executives, and confiscated a note containing information about an upcoming meeting in Diyarbakır, which said some senior PKK terrorists would attend from the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq. Nine of the suspects have been arrested after standing trial.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

The dissolution of the PKK has accelerated due to Turkey's successful counterterrorism operations and strategies both at home and abroad. In recent years, Turkey has seen record numbers of PKK terrorists giving themselves up in the face of determined domestic and cross-border counterterrorism operations.