"Following the results of the DNA tests, the prosecutor's office must launch an investigation against military authorities in office at the time," Sezgin Tanrikulu, the head of local bar association, told a press conference in the regional capital of Diyarbakir.

"In my opinion, there is no place to hide for the prosecutor in the face of the technical evidence," he added.

The 11 men from the village of Akarca, some 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) northeast of Diyarbakir city, went missing after they were detained during a security operation by a commando unit against Kurdish rebels in October 1993.

An investigation which began shortly after upon a demand by relatives was never concluded and left pending.

In October 2004, the villagers discovered human bones, pieces of clothing and empty shells near their settlement in what they described as a "mass grave".

Tanrikulu said DNA tests carried out on the remains had determined that they belonged to the missing villagers.

Officials have not yet disclosed the results of the tests.

A report, penned in 2004 by a parliamentary commission looking into the incident, blamed local authorities for failing to properly investigate the disappearance of the villagers.

Some 37,000 people have been killed in Turkey's southeast since 1984 when the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) picked up arms for self-rule in the region.

The bloody conflicts also displaced thousands and led to allegations of gross human rights violations on both sides, including extrajudicial killings.