’ISIL’ Terrorists Destroy Ancient Statues in Iraq Museum
Local Editor
The "ISIL" terrorist group released a video Thursday in which militants in Iraq are seen destroying ancient artifacts that included statues.
The five-minute video shows militants at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces with sledgehammers.
In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city, which the extremist group captured last summer.
"Muslims, these artifacts behind me are idols for people from ancient times who worshiped them instead of God," said a militant speaking to the camera.
He further claimed: "The so-called Assyrians, Akkadians and other peoples had gods for the rain, for farming, for war... and they tried to get closer to them with offerings."
Experts said the items destroyed include original pieces, reconstructed fragments and copies.
They include many pieces from the Assyrian and Parthian eras dating back several centuries before Christ.
Iraq's Assyrians are now a Christian minority who consider themselves to be the region's indigenous people.
Several Assyrian villages were seized by "ISIL" fighters in neighboring Syria in recent days and at least 220 Assyrians kidnapped in the process.
The extremists have controlled Mosul, Iraq's second city, since seizing it in a June offensive that saw them conquer large parts of the country.
They have systematically targeted minorities in and around Mosul and destroyed heritage sites, sparking global indignation.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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