Mass Graves Found In Tikrit

Mass graves have been discovered in the recently liberated Iraqi city of Tikrit, mostly filled with the bodies of Iraqi soldiers. Islamic State claims to have executed 1,700 Iraqi soldiers captured outside Camp Speicher, and so far around forty-seven bodies have been recovered from two out of eleven discovered mass graves. Exhumation of the remains are is under way.  Camp Speicher was a former US Army base handed over to the Iraqis that fell to Islamic State in June 2014; the massacre of Shia soldiers there, posted on social media, became a testament to Islamic State’s brutality.

Excavation has begun at the eight grave sites near Saddam Hussein’s presidential palaces. However, exhumation of the bodies has been made difficult due to Islamic State booby-trapping the mass graves. It is possible that there are even more uncovered graves in Tikrit and the outskirts. The murders and discoveries of the mass graves have enraged Shia militias, leading many to vow to avenge the mass executions.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi military has launched a new campaign against Islamic State in the Sunni area of Anbar. The offensive was launched as Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi was touring Anbar, visiting Iraqi army units before the attack. Reports from the Iraqi military state that Islamic State militants have been forced back from Ramadi and Fallujah, and were currently losing ground in Sijariyah. Reports also indicate that Shia militias have joined the fight in Anbar against Islamic State, a controversial issue in heavily Sunni Anbar. Sunni pundits have already praised Islamic State for fighting the Iranian-backed Shia militias, and as we have seen in Anbar and Mosul sectarianism has played a prime role in the reasoning for support among the local Sunni tribes towards Islamic State. Fear of reprisals by Shia militias still remains a significant issue hampering Iraq’s battle against Islamic State.