Bereaved families flock to Tikrit to commemorate the anniversary of the Speicher Massacre 

Shafaq News/ Hundreds of families from all over Iraq flocked to Tikrit on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the Speicher Massacre in which more than 1,700 Iraqi troops were killed by the ISIS terrorist group in 2017.

Tikrit's commissioner, Omar al-Shindah, told Shafaq News Agency that a large-scale security plan has been devised in preparation for today's event.

"The plan also includes preparing the site, installing the necessary services, and providing protection and facilities to the bereaved families wishing to visit the location of this heinous crime," he continued, "the plan also covers their return to their hometowns without any complications."

As many as 1,700 Iraqi Air Force cadets were killed on June 12, 2014, in Camp Speicher, a former U.S. military base just north of Saddam Hussein's home town, when it was overrun by Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group.