The US government also considers the PKK responsible for the death of those captives.[16] 6 Turkish soldiers and two police officers who were captured in 2015 and 2016 were identified among the killed prisoners after autopsies of the bodies were conducted in Malatya Province. Turkish intelligence personnel were also reported among the dead. The PKK denied that it executed the hostages & kidnapping victims and claimed they died during the clashes.[4] On the map announced by the General Staff the sketch of the bunker cave where the hostages were kept was exhibited.[17]