Iraqi President Nizar Amedi on Friday marked the anniversary of the Camp Speicher massacre, calling the 2014 mass execution a stark reminder of terrorist brutality while urging the country to strengthen national unity against future security threats.

“On the anniversary of the Speicher crime, we recall with profound pain the sacrifices of our martyred sons who were unjustly and aggressively killed by ISIS terrorist gangs,” President Amedi wrote on X on Friday.

Amedi noted that the tragedy will remain a witness to the savagery of terrorism and its heinous crimes against Iraqi citizens, serving as "a driving force for us to strengthen national unity and protect Iraq from every threat."

Amedi Honors Al-Sistani Fatwa on Camp Speicher Anniversary 

“We recall with pride the steadfastness of Iraqis and their great sacrifices that thwarted the plans of terrorism, and the historic role of the fatwa for jihad of sufficiency issued by the Supreme Religious Authority,” he added.

The "Fatwa for Jihad of Sufficiency" was a June 2014 religious decree issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani that called on able-bodied Iraqi citizens to volunteer alongside state security forces, effectively mobilizing thousands to halt the rapid military advance of ISIS.

The Iraqi president emphasized that the religious decree helped unite public efforts to defend the country, serving as a pivotal turning point in confronting terrorism and strengthening national cohesion.

“Mercy to the martyrs, eternity to their memory, and patience and solace to their noble families,” he concluded.

Camp Speicher Massacre: A UN-Classified Genocide and War Crime 

The Camp Speicher massacre occurred on June 12, 2014, when ISIS militants captured and systematically executed an estimated 1,700 unarmed Iraqi military cadets following the security collapse in northern Iraq.

The victims, who were predominantly Shia Muslim recruits, were intercepted on the highway after leaving their base near Tikrit and subsequently executed along the banks of the Tigris River and in mass graves.

Officially classified by the United Nations as a war crime and genocide, the atrocity was heavily documented through graphic propaganda footage broadcasted by ISIS across social media platforms.