This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37148060

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Iraq hangs 36 IS jihadists for Camp Speicher massacre Iraq hangs 36 men for Camp Speicher massacre
(1 day later)
Iraq has hanged 36 men convicted over the killing of up to 1,700 military recruits at a former US base in 2014. Iraq has hanged 36 men convicted over the massacre of hundreds of soldiers near the city of Tikrit in June 2014.
The massacre at Camp Speicher, near Tikrit, was carried out by fighters from so-called Islamic State (IS) as it seized territory across northern Iraq. Most of the victims are believed to have been young Shia recruits who were based at Camp Speicher when Tikrit was overrun by Islamic State militants.
Outrage over the massacre of the mostly Shia cadets helped mobilise Iraq's Shia militias in the fight against IS. It is estimated that up to 1,700 people died in one of the worst atrocities committed in Iraq in recent times.
IS militants released photos and video documenting the massacre in 2014. Mass graves were found a year later. Photos and videos published by IS at the time showed soldiers being lined up and shot at various locations.
The graves were discovered when Iraqi government forces recaptured the area. Some bodies were pushed into the River Tigris, while others were buried in mass graves that were found after government forces recaptured the city a year later.
Islamic State group: The full story "The executions of 36 convicted over the Speicher crime were carried out this morning in Nasiriyah prison," a spokesman for the governor's office in Dhiqar province told Agence France-Presse news agency.
"The executions of 36 convicted over the Speicher crime were carried out this morning in Nasiriyah prison," a spokesman for the governor's office in Dhiqar, the province of which Nasiriyah is the capital, told Agence France-Presse news agency. Some 400 of the army recruits who were killed were from Dhiqar province.
Some 400 of the army recruits who died were from Dhiqar province.
The spokesman said that Justice Minister Haidar al-Zamili was present at the executions.The spokesman said that Justice Minister Haidar al-Zamili was present at the executions.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said after last month's Baghdad bomb blast that killed more than 300 people that he wanted to speed up executions of terrorism convicts. After a suicide truck bomb attack in Baghdad killed more than 300 people last month, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said that he wanted to speed up executions of those convicted of terrorism.
Those executed on Sunday, all believed to be Iraqi citizens, had been sentenced to death in February.Those executed on Sunday, all believed to be Iraqi citizens, had been sentenced to death in February.
Some of the defendants said they had not been near Tikrit at the time of the massacre, while others said they had been denied access to lawyers, or had been forced to confess under torture.Some of the defendants said they had not been near Tikrit at the time of the massacre, while others said they had been denied access to lawyers, or had been forced to confess under torture.
IS videos
Camp Speicher, named after the first US casualty of the 1991 "Desert Storm" Gulf war against Iraq, had been full of Iraqi army recruits.
The camp surrendered after it was surrounded by jihadists.
Among the thousands of captives, Shia men were sorted out, bound and taken away in lorries. They were then forced to lie face down on the ground before being shot dead. Their bodies were dumped in prepared trenches.
The IS group revelled in the atrocity, posting on the internet videos and pictures showing the Shia prisoners being taken away and shot.