ISIS Destroys Historic Archaeological Relics – International News – AllMediaNY

“The ongoing destruction of Palmyra’s cultural artifacts reflects the brutality and ignorance of extremist groups and their disregard of local communities and the Syrian people”, decaled UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, strongly condemning this new assault on Palmyra, aWorld Heritage Site, particularly funerary busts and the renowned Lion statue of Athenafrom the entrance of the site’s museum.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly released photos showing its militants destroying what are understood to be looted artefacts from the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.

CNN reported that a man smuggling at least six ancient statues through Aleppo province was captured by the militants and transferred to Islamic court in the ISIS-controlled city of Manbij.

In the video of the hammer attack on the statues released by the Islamic State, a large crowd can be seen cheering on the fighters as they swing the sledge-hammers.

So-called “Islamic State” militants recently executed 160 children and women for a variety of alleged offences including refusal to fast during Ramadan and sorcery, the UK-based organisation Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed.

Separate reports this week indicated that Islamic State fighters were smashing cultural relics in the ancient city of Palmyra, once one of Syria’s most crowded tourist destinations, but now in the grips of the extremist organization. Many fear that the group will damage the town’s archaeological sites as they did in neighboring Iraq earlier this year.

In late May, the jihadists began their offensive against the Syrian regime in Palmyra, home to world-famous ancient ruins classified by UNESCO as World Heritage.

“ISIS terrorists have destroyed one of the most important unearthed statues in Syria in terms of quality and weight…it was discovered in 1977 and dates back to the second century A.D.”, Ma’moun Abdul-Karim, director of museums and antiquities, told state-run SANA news agency on Thursday.

Abdelkarim said the statue had been covered with a metal plate and sandbags to protect it from fighting but he never imagined that IS would come to the town to destroy it. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

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