Iraq Commemorates 9th Anniversary of Speicher Massacre

A photo distributed by the media of the "Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces" from the ninth anniversary ceremony for the victims of the Camp Speicher massacre
A photo distributed by the media of the "Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces" from the ninth anniversary ceremony for the victims of the Camp Speicher massacre
TT

Iraq Commemorates 9th Anniversary of Speicher Massacre

A photo distributed by the media of the "Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces" from the ninth anniversary ceremony for the victims of the Camp Speicher massacre
A photo distributed by the media of the "Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces" from the ninth anniversary ceremony for the victims of the Camp Speicher massacre

Iraq on Saturday commemorated the ninth anniversary of the Speicher massacre, which was committed by ISIS in June 2014.

The terrorist group captured and murdered primarily students at the College of Aviation and security personnel within the well-known military base, "Speicher," in Salah ad Din Governorate in 2014.

By June 2014, ISIS took control of one third of the country, including vast areas in the north, east and the west of Iraq before the government was capable of defeating the terrorist group three years later.

Saturday’s commemoration was held at the crime scene in the presidential palaces complex in Tikrit.

Tens of families and relatives of the victims, in addition to Iraqi officials and representatives from the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD), attended the event.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who served as prime minister while Iraq was battling ISIS from 2014 till 2017, said in a tweet that “Today is the anniversary of the biggest and most dangerous national wound, the anniversary of the fall of Mosul in the hands of (ISIS) terrorism and barbarism.”

He added: “The fall of Mosul was only the result of the enemies' plans, and of corruption, mismanagement, sectarianism, and hatred."

On Saturday, UNITAD said in a statement that the Speicher crime represents the largest documented mass killing.

The Chief of Office of Field Investigations, Defne Akca, said: “The United Nations investigation team is conducting its investigations regarding this crime, which is one of the largest documented mass killings, which claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 martyrs.”

During the memorial event on the tragedy, Akca added that efforts will continue to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The international community, under international law, considers these crimes to be among the greatest crimes committed, and by collecting evidence, the perpetrators of this crime will be held accountable in accordance with international standards, even after decades.”

Akca pointed out that the team is working with the Iraqi authorities to find the culprits.

Despite the brutality of the "Speicher" crime, many of its chapters remain unresolved. The identity of all the elements involved in the massacre remain unknown.

Also, there are still hundreds of unidentified bodies in the forensic medicine department while no exact figures were given regarding the number of people killed in the massacre. Reports said ISIS killed between 1,700 to 2,000 Iraqi cadets.

Meanwhile, families of the victims have not received the compensation approved by Iraqi laws for this type of victim.

ISIS members were held responsible for the crime. Iraqi courts already sentenced several people to death over their involvement in the June 2014 massacre.

However, Hassan Salem, a deputy from Asaib Ahl al-Haq, held the family of the late President Saddam Hussein responsible for the massacre, as they resided near the area of ​​the presidential palace where the massacre was carried out.

Meanwhile, Moeen al-Kadhimi, the head of the Speicher Massacre Memorial Committee, said on Saturday that more than 900 families of the victims, distributed in the governorates of Najaf, Diwaniyah, Babel and Karbala, did not obtain their full rights, guaranteed by law.

At the memorial event held in the presidential palace complex, he added that “we are working diligently to search for the 500 missing persons through the Martyrs' Foundation/Mass Graves Department.”

Al-Khadhimi also said that the Committee is working to expedite DNA testing for 140 remains currently at the forensic department.

The Ministry of Health must hasten this process and end the suffering of the martyrs' families, he added.

 



Trump Says Must End Conflict in Lebanon

 Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump reacts after complaining about its sound during a campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US November 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump reacts after complaining about its sound during a campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US November 1, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Trump Says Must End Conflict in Lebanon

 Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump reacts after complaining about its sound during a campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US November 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump reacts after complaining about its sound during a campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US November 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday, speaking to an audience including Arab Americans in the battleground state of Michigan, said it was time to get the Israel-Lebanon conflict over with.

"I know many people from Lebanon and we have to get this whole thing over with," he said.

Trump on Friday met with Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan — the nation’s largest Arab-majority city — as the Republican presidential nominee works to court the potentially decisive group despite his history of Islamophobic rhetoric and policy.

Trump was greeted with cheers and applause from a modest crowd at The Great Commoner restaurant in one of his campaign’s final attempts to garner support in the key battleground state.

Metro Detroit is home to the nation’s largest concentration of Arab Americans, with a large chunk of them living in Dearborn. The city — which Democrat Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020 — has been roiled by political turmoil, with many upset with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Democrats worry that anger over the war will lead traditionally loyal voters to shift their votes to Trump or third-party candidates like Jill Stein — or skip the top of the ballot altogether. This could prove pivotal in Michigan, a state both parties see as a toss-up.

While the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has been working through surrogates to ease community tensions, Trump’s visit marked the first by either candidate, according to a local leader, Osama Siblani. Earlier this year, Harris met with the city’s Democratic mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, though their discussion took place outside Dearborn.

The meeting with Arab supporters Friday follows Trump’s rally in Michigan last week, when he brought local Muslims up onstage with him. Trump has also received endorsements from two Democratic mayors of Muslim-majority cities.

"It is time to prioritize our nation’s best interests and foster lasting peace for all," Albert Abbas, an Arab American, said Friday while standing next to Trump. "This current administration has failed miserably in all aspects of humanity."

He added, "We look to a Trump presidency with hope and envisioning a time where peace flourishes, particularly in Lebanon and Palestine."

While many Democratic leaders in the Arab community have not endorsed Harris, they are still deeply negative toward Trump and say his endorsements don’t reflect a majority of the community. They remember his call for a "total and complete shutdown" on Muslims entering the country and his travel restrictions on visitors from Muslim-majority countries. And some point out that Trump has suggested he would give Israel even more leeway to attack its rivals in the region.

Top community leaders in Dearborn, including Hammoud, declined an invitation to meet with Trump while he was in town. Many community leaders say that while Harris has never earned their endorsement, they are still overwhelmingly opposed to Trump.

Siblani, a prominent figure in the community who has engaged with Democratic leaders about ongoing tensions, noted that many "do not trust" Trump because of his past policies and remarks. However, he emphasized the significance of Trump’s visit to Dearborn.

"Kamala should have done this months ago," Siblani said.

Harris defended her record on the issue Friday, telling reporters that she’s "proud to have significant amount of support from the Arab American community," while adding that she continues to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and last month launched an invasion of Lebanon to suppress Hezbollah, the party that has continuously launched rockets into Israeli territory. At least 43,000 people have died in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish in its death toll between combatants and civilians.

Abbas said Trump allies had reached out to him several weeks ago about hosting Trump in Dearborn. Before hosting Trump, Abbas said he wanted to see a statement from Trump that he said showed Trump "has the intentions of ending the war and helping us rebuild Lebanon and helping the displaced and the injured."

That statement came Wednesday, when Trump posted on X that he wanted to "stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon."

"I will preserve the equal partnership among all Lebanese communities," Trump said on X. "Your friends and family in Lebanon deserve to live in peace, prosperity, and harmony with their neighbors, and that can only happen with peace and stability in the Middle East."

Once Trump put out the statement, Abbas said he agreed to host the event.