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ISIL releases video showing destruction of Iraq artifacts

A video grab shows ISIL Takfiri militants destroying ancient artifacts at Ninawa museum in Mosul, north of Iraq, on February 26, 2015.

The ISIL Takfiri group has released a new video showing its militants destroying the ancient artifacts at a museum in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The video released on Thursday shows terrorists using sledgehammers and drills to smash ancient statues in Mosul where the militants have been operating over the past ten months.

The vandalism purportedly took place at the Ninawa museum, which puts on exhibit Assyrian artifacts dating back to the 9th century BC.

The video shows the Takfiri terrorists barbarically pounding 3,000-year-old sculptures with hammers. Tens of militants are seen in the footage using pickaxes, ladders, drills and hammers to destroy every single piece of artifact in the museum.

A precious Assyrian protective deity, dating back to 7th century BC is also shattered by the militants in the video.

After destroying the deity sculpture, a militant appears before the camera and describes the statues as signs of irreverence to God.

"These ruins that are behind me, they are idols and statues that people in the past used to worship instead of Allah," the militant said.

The Takfiri terrorists have already razed to the ground a number of mosques in Syria and Iraq, many of them belonging to the early years of the Islamic civilization. The terrorists have also destroyed tombs belonging to revered Shia and Sunni figures.

ISIL terrorists, who have already persecuting minorities and people of faith, are now targeting artifacts and museums.

Officials in Mosul said earlier this month that the ISIL had burnt a precious collection of historic books and manuscripts in the Ninawa museum. Tens of thousands of priceless documents, some of them registered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), went up in flames.

Mosul and the surrounding areas were once occupied by the ancient Mesopotamians who established a great civilization in the lands between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The artifacts in the Ninawa museum were supposed to have great cultural and historic significance.

MS/KA/SS


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