Baghdad, April 7 (IANS): Iraqi forces have dug up 12 mass graves found in the city of Tikrit, where it is believed that hundreds of soldiers were killed by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group last June.

Tikrit police's Khaled al-Jaburi told Efe news agency that the mass graves were discovered in the presidential palace complex, located in the centre of the city.

There are indications, according to al-Jaburi, that the remains belong to soldiers of Camp Speicher, an air base located north of Tikrit and taken by the IS in June, where an estimated 1,700 soldiers were killed.

"These graves contain the bones of the troops who were executed by the IS. Identification documents and uniforms of the dead troops were found," the official said.

Discovery of the mass graves began after Iraqi troops liberated Tikrit on March 31.

In the Camp Speicher massacre, hundreds of Iraqi soldiers were killed, triggering retribution from Shia militias against Sunni tribes, which were accused of supporting jihadis at the time.