Daesh News: ISIS Video Shows Destruction of Nimrud
ISIS, also known as Daesh in the Middle East, released a video over the weekend purportedly showing the destruction of the ancient city of Nimrud. This is the latest confirmation that Daesh continues to destroy ancient historical sites and pieces in the name of Islam.
Daesh released the video late on Saturday, showing the destruction of Nimrud, the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire, according to the Associated Press. Daesh fighters use jackhammers, sledgehammers, explosives and bulldozers to level the ancient city and destroy all of its artifacts, reliefs and frescoes.
"God has honored us to remove all of these idols and statutes," a fighter says on the video, which is undated. However, the Iraqi government had reported that Daesh began destroying the city in March. The video allegedly provides more proof of Daesh's actions against history.
The United Nations last month condemned Daesh's continued destruction of Iraqi and world history. In a press release Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "The deliberate destruction of our common cultural heritage constitutes a war crime and represents an attack on humanity as a whole."
Similarly, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned the Islamic extremist group's actions, saying: "These depraved acts are an assault on the heritage of the Iraqi and Syrian people by an organization with a bankrupt and toxic ideology."
Following the release of the video, UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova released a statement strongly condemning Daesh's actions.
"I condemn this mad, destructive act that accentuates the horror of the situation. It confirms that the terrorists are not only destroying representations of figures and bas-reliefs," she said. "With their hammers and explosives they are also obliterating the site itself, clearly determined to wipe out all traces of the history of Iraq's people."
She reiterated these actions constituted a war crime and that they would document everything happening and will pursue criminal charges against those involved.
CNN reports, aside from Nimrud, Daesh has destroyed the ancient cities of Khorsabad, in Iraq, and Petra, in Syria. They have also destroyed artifacts inside the Mosul Museum and Mosul Library.
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