ISIL burns historical Iraqi manuscripts: Official
An Iraqi government official says the Takfiri ISIL militants have burned 1,500 historical manuscripts in the country and sold ancient Assyrian sculptures on the black market.
Iraq’s Deputy Tourism and Antiquities Minister Qais Hussein Rashid made the announcement at a symposium called “ISIS: The Enemy of Humanity, History and Civilization,” which was held by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism at the Council headquarters in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Wednesday.
Rashid said the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh is the richest Iraqi province under the control of the Takfiris in terms of the number of archaeological sites.
He stressed that Iraq has managed to block the sale of some of the antiquities looted by the Takfiri militants in some international auctions.
He further named the shrine of Ibn al-Athir and the shrine of the Prophet Jonah in the militant-held city of Mosul as two of the important sites in which the Takfiri group has conducted illegal excavations.
He also expressed fear that the Takfiri group might ruin as many as 520 heritage houses in Mosul.
The Iraqi minister of tourism and antiquities, Adel Shershab, also highlighted the illegal diggings by the Takfiri group in Iraq, urging “friendly countries to take a genuine stand to restore the stolen antiquities.”
The ancient archaeological site of Khorsabad is the latest target of the ISIL terror group’s campaign of violence. Situated 15 kilometers (nine miles) northeast of the Iraqi city of Mosul, Khorsabad was constructed as an Assyrian capital by King Sargon II shortly after he took power in 721 BC.
The militants razed ancient ruins in the site on Sunday, Jumaa Abdullah, an official with the Antiquities Authority of the Nineveh province, said.
The ISIL terrorists have also damaged the two UNESCO world heritage sites of Nimrud and Hatra, both located in northern Iraq.
The Takfiri extremists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have carried out heinous crimes in the two countries, including mass executions and the beheading of people.
IA/HJL/MHB
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