ISIS reportedly destroying ancient Iraqi city of Hatra

Hatra
(Image credit: AP Photo/Antonio Castaneda)

Just days after Islamic State militants bulldozed through the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, Kurdish sources say that Hatra, an ancient Iraqi city, is also being destroyed, the BBC reports.

Hatra is a Unesco world heritage site; it was founded more than 2,000 years ago, during the Parthian Empire's reign. It later developed into a major trading-post city along the Silk Road. Unesco head Irina Bokova has condemned the militants' actions as "war crimes."

"There is absolutely no political or religious justification for the destruction of humanity's cultural heritage," she said.

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ISIS militants in a video released last week said that shrines, statues, and other artifacts are "false idols," and must be destroyed.

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