Deep inside they knew they will end up in this mass grave if they uttered any word ... so they kept quiet.

Residents of the eastern Bekaa Valley town of Anjar, found the grave containing the 26 bodies last week, the official said on condition of anonymity, because he was unauthorized to speak to the media. At least one of the bodies was dressed in a Lebanese soldier's uniform.

The mayor of the nearby town of Majdal Anjar, who helped lead security forces to the graves, said he believed up to 40 bodies were buried in the area, near a hilltop Muslim shrine.

"These bodies have been buried near the shrine of Nabi Uzeir since 1993. I have known since 1999 but kept silent," Shaaban al-Ajami told Reuters. Residents said they could not speak out while Syrian intelligence kept a tight grip on Lebanon.

Lebanese troops operating with bulldozers since Friday have exhumed the remains of 26 human skeletons with traces of underwear clothes still sticking to the bones from two mass graves - one containing 20 bodies and another six remains.

The discovery of the mass grave shocked Lebanon and once again Syria was under the spotlight.

Ghazi Aad, director of Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile (SOLIDE), called the mass grave "the biggest proof" of the extent of Syrian atrocities against Lebanese. He added... "All those whom the Syrians detained used to pass through Anjar and be tortured ... and those who died under torture were buried near the onion factory prison."

Aad's group works for the release of Lebanese prisoners in Syrian jails and to learn the fate of missing people. Aad called for an international investigation into the mass graves and other killings allegedly carried out while Syrian troops were in Lebanon.

About 17,000 Lebanese who disappeared during 1975-90 civil war are still missing, including 61 Lebanese soldiers. Syria entered the war in 1976, ostensibly as a stabilizing force.

Syria vacated the headquarters ... notorious for the arrest and torture of prisoners on April 25 as it withdrew its soldiers from Lebanon, ending its 29-year domination of Lebanon.

Syria's withdrawal followed the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, which sparked anti-Syrian protests and intensified international pressure on Damascus to remove its army. A U.N. investigation has implicated several Syrian officials in the killing.

Lebanese media yesterday reported that a more recent buried body had been found at one of the sites and that the United Nations investigation of the murder of Rafiq Hariri, the country's former prime minister, has asked to check its identity.

"The UN commission investigating Hariri's murder has specifically asked Lebanese authorities superintending the operations on the mass graveyards to look for a possibly newly buried corpse that may belong to Ahmad Abu Adass," an Nahar reported.

Detlev Mehlis has stated in his September report to the Security Council that Abu Adass had reportedly been murdered in Syria shortly after making al-Jazeera video tape appearance.

Syria denied any responsibility for the mass graves throwing the blame on Abu Nidal, a Palestinian militant organization.

Photo Captions

Front and top: Shadows of Lebanese army and forensic experts during excavation of mass graves.
Middle Picture: Mass graves found next to syrian intelligence headquarters
Bottom picture: SOLIDE poster that asks: Where are our kids?

Additional Pictures

Lebanese army forensic experts put on their white gloves as they get ready to comb the earth in search of human remains.

Photos: courtesy of AP
Sources: Local Newspapers, TV and Agencies