Tehran: It has been reported that the Islamic State militants have destroyed centuries old statues in Iraq. The information was on the basis of a video released by them. The Statues are appeared to have been smashed with sledgehammers and drills. These artifacts are supposed to be from a museum in the city of Mosul. Militants were also seen destroying statues at an archaeological site known as the Nergal Gate.
Following the incident, the World heritage body UNESCO has convened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The emergency meeting is to discuss the task of protecting Iraq’s cultural heritage sites. In a statement, UNESCO head Irina Bokova has pointed out that the ongoing destruction of primitive statues in Iraq is far more than a cultural tragedy. According to him, this is a total security issue as the incident can fuel sectarianism, violent extremism and conflict in Iraq.
In the video released via ISIS social media sites, black-clad men were seen pushing and smashing the statues with sledgehammers. They were also used pneumatic drill to wipe-off the leftovers of the destructed statues. According to militants, these centuries old artifacts are false idols. They are trying to justify their atrocious acts in terms of religion. Analysts said that the artifacts are very unique and priceless although the museum houses documents of some of the items.
Ihsan Fethi, an Iraqi professor of architecture, referred the destruction as a terrible loss and an unbelievable act of cultural terrorism. Amir al-Jumaili, another professor at the Archaeology College in Mosul, referred the destruction of the artifacts as an absolute misfortune. According to him, people of Iraq can no longer be proud about the ancient civilization of Mosul. ISIS militants are said to have been controlling Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, since June 2014. Meanwhile, the US military officials said that a battle on the city by the Iraqi army could be possible within months.
According to reports, among the 12,000 registered archaeological sites in Iraq, 1,800 such locations are said to be under the control of ISIS militants. As per the recent reports, ISIS has also burnt down Mosul library, where 8000 ancient manuscripts were collected.

Video on the destruction of ancient artifacts by ISIS militants in Mosul