Iraq: Discovery of Hundreds of Bodies Linked to the Spiker Base Massacre by ISIS

The Iraqi government announced the discovery of hundreds of bodies believed to have been killed last year near Tikrit during the mass execution at Spiker Base by the group known as the 'Islamic State.' On Thursday, June 7, the French news agency reported statements from Adila Hamoud, Iraq's Minister of Health, at a press conference stating, 'We have discovered the bodies of 470 martyrs from Spiker Base who were buried in Tikrit.' The report also cites the deputy of the central morgue in Baghdad, indicating that the discovered bodies were buried in four mass graves, one of which contained 400 bodies piled on top of each other. The Spiker Base massacre occurred in the outskirts of Tikrit in early summer last year at the hands of the 'Islamic State.' Images released by the group showed its members executing hundreds of young men lined up in various locations. Some of these young soldiers were thrown into the Tigris River, while others were buried in different locations, which the Iraqi government discovered two months ago when it retook Tikrit. The number of victims from Spiker Base is estimated to be as high as 1,700. The French news report adds that the Iraqi Minister of Health stated the names of the 470 discovered bodies will be announced a few weeks later after DNA test results are confirmed. She also emphasized that there are still more bodies from the Spiker Base massacre that need to be discovered, and the investigation teams are continuing their work. It is likely that some of these mass graves are located in the grounds of the palace of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, where members of the Islamic State executed some of the Spiker Base soldiers.