The Syrian intelligence headquarters in Lebanon was based in the village of Anjar for 29 years before the withdrawal.

After the three shallow graves were uncovered, experts analyzed the remains. One pathologist said the remains dated from at least 12 years ago. The remains were in bags and not buried according to any religious rites, indicating the blatant cover up. The bones and skulls of over thirty bodies were found, a number which is likely to grow as the excavations continue.

According to , an anonymous Anjar resident said that "prisoners who died in the Syrian mukhabarat (secret police) prison were buried on the hill."

The prison dates back to 1976, when Syrian troops first moved into Lebanon. It was used as a transit point through which Lebanese detainees on their way to Syrian jails passed.

A statement from the Internal Security Forces said a "forensic pathologist examined the remains, which have been put in bags that will be sent to laboratories for DNA testing in hopes of identifying them."

It added that excavation work was continuing and that a judicial enquiry had been opened.

Last April, Syrian General Rustom Ghazaleh fled Anjar along with the Syrian intelligence apparatus as Syria's occupation of Lebanon came to an end. Ghazaleh is preparing to fly to Vienna this week for interrogations related to the murder of former premier Rafik Hariri. The previous Syrian intelligence chief based in Anjar was Ghazi Kanaan, who allegedly committed suicide on October 12 2005.

Lebanese inspectors check at a site where bodies were found

A Lebanese coroner, front right, inspects the site where bodies were found in a mass grave while policemen secure the area, in the eastern town of Anjar, in the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanese policemen watch a bulldozer being used to search for more bodies.

Sources: Ya Libnan,
Photo credit: AP,