{"id":34610,"date":"2026-06-13T01:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iq\/?p=34610"},"modified":"2026-06-13T01:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:20:32","slug":"iraq-speicher-massacre-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/iraq-speicher-massacre-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraqi Leaders Commemorate Speicher Massacre, Reaffirm Unity and Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Iraqi officials marked the anniversary of the Speicher massacre, describing it as a lasting testament to the brutality of terrorism and renewing calls for national unity and justice.<\/p>\n<p>President Nizar Amidi said the tragedy will remain a stark reminder of ISIS crimes against the Iraqi people, while Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi inaugurated a dedicated Speicher panorama to honor the victims.<\/p>\n<h2>President: A Symbol of Terrorism\u2019s Brutality<\/h2>\n<p>In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency, President Amidi said the Speicher massacre represents one of the most painful chapters in Iraq\u2019s modern history.<\/p>\n<p>He stressed that the victims, who were killed by ISIS militants, will remain a symbol of sacrifice and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>The president also highlighted the historic role of the religious authority\u2019s fatwa of jihad al-kifai, which helped unify Iraqis in confronting terrorism and defending the country.<\/p>\n<p>He offered condolences to the families of the victims and emphasized the importance of strengthening national unity to protect Iraq from future threats.<\/p>\n<h2>Prime Minister: Terrorists Tried to Destroy the Idea of the State<\/h2>\n<p>Prime Minister Al-Zaidi inaugurated the Speicher panorama, created by Iraqi artist Hanoush Hanoush, describing the massacre as a deep wound in the heart of the nation.<\/p>\n<p>He said extremist forces aimed to undermine the concept of the Iraqi state and erode public trust through the atrocity.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Prime Minister, the terrorists sought to turn pain into division, but failed because the victims\u2019 blood united Iraqis rather than dividing them.<\/p>\n<p>He added that true loyalty to the victims lies in building a just and strong state capable of protecting its citizens.<\/p>\n<h2>Political Leaders Call for Accountability<\/h2>\n<p>On the twelfth anniversary of the massacre, Iraqi political figures reiterated demands to pursue and prosecute those responsible.<\/p>\n<p>Hadi Al-Amiri, Secretary-General of the Badr Organization, described the massacre as one of the most heinous crimes in Iraq\u2019s history and called for continued legal action against all remaining perpetrators.<\/p>\n<p>Qais Al-Khazali, Secretary-General of Asa\u2019ib Ahl Al-Haq, said the crime was not only an attack on individuals but an attempt to fracture Iraq\u2019s unity and morale.<\/p>\n<p>Both leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring full rights and support for the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n<h2>Security Forces Honor the Fallen<\/h2>\n<p>Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Mohammadawi, stated that the Speicher massacre remains a painful mark on Iraq\u2019s collective memory.<\/p>\n<p>He said the blood of the victims played a crucial role in mobilizing efforts to defeat ISIS and restore territorial control.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Mohammadawi stressed that honoring the victims requires ongoing support for their families and continued pursuit of terrorists to ensure justice.<\/p>\n<h2>A Defining Moment in Iraq\u2019s Fight Against Extremism<\/h2>\n<p>The Speicher massacre, which took place in 2014 near Salah al-Din province, resulted in the killing of thousands of military cadets by ISIS militants.<\/p>\n<p>Iraqi leaders describe it as a defining moment that reshaped the country\u2019s response to extremism and strengthened national resolve.<\/p>\n<p>Key themes emphasized during the commemoration include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Preserving national unity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Supporting victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Strengthening state institutions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Rejecting extremism and sectarian division.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion:<\/h2>\n<p>The anniversary of the Speicher massacre serves as both a moment of remembrance and a reaffirmation of Iraq\u2019s commitment to justice and unity. Iraqi leaders underscored that the victims\u2019 sacrifices remain central to the country\u2019s determination to confront terrorism and build a stable, secure future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iraqi officials marked the anniversary of the Speicher massacre, describing it as a lasting testament to the brutality of terrorism and renewing calls for national unity and justice. President Nizar Amidi said the tragedy will remain a stark reminder of ISIS crimes against the Iraqi people, while Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi inaugurated a dedicated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"7","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"topbottom","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34614,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34610\/revisions\/34614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}