Mass Graves of Iraqi Soldiers Killed By IS Found in Tikrit

The suspected mass graves of up to 1,700 captured Iraqi soldiers killed by the Islamic State group (IS) have been found in the city of Tikrit.

Up to 1,700 bodies may be recovered. ISIS claimed to have executed that many soldiers captured in June outside Camp Speicher, a fortified Iraqi base near Tikrit.

CNN's Arwa Damon saw nine bodies recovered by forensics experts at one of the excavation sites. Grieving Iraqis, apparently not related to the soldiers, gathered to pray over the bodies. When the first three bodies were found, 10 Iraqi soldiers saluted the dead by firing seven shots into the air. The national anthem was played while soldiers wept.

All the bodies were decomposed. Some had their hands bound, Damon said. The remains will be sent back to Baghdad for DNA tests to establish identify, said Ali Tahir, a director in the Iraqi morgue who was supervising the digging and extraction.

Damon said there may be eight mass graves inside the presidential palace complex, which contains the residences of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and two other sites outside the city.

The presidential palaces complex became ISIS headquarters after the militants occupied the city. Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militias retook Tikrit a few days ago after a fierce battle.

Damon interviewed a soldier who said he survived the massacre by playing dead. The solider said ISIS captured the troops outside Camp Speicher and marched them to the presidential palace complex, telling them they would be safe until a prisoner swap was arranged.

Once inside the compound, the soldiers were separated into smaller groups, executed and buried in mass graves, the survivor told Damon. He said he was tossed into a river and floated to an embankment.

On Monday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said revenge is not the way to deal with the discovery of the bodies. He said several people involved in the killings have been detained.

Families of the missing soldiers had been demanding answers from the Iraqi government about what happened.