Hatra

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants hammered, bulldozed and ultimately blew up parts of the ancient Iraqi Assyrian city of Nimrud, destroying a site dating back to the 13th century B.C., an online militant video purportedly shows.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants at Iraq?s ancient city of Hatra destroyed the archaeological site by smashing sledgehammers into its walls and shooting Kalashnikov assault rifles at priceless statues, a new militant video purportedly from the group shows.
                   

ISIS militants took a sledgehammer and Kalashnikovs to destroy artifacts in Iraq's UNESCO World Heritage city of Hatra. The video shows Islamic militants destroying artifacts. The last in a series published by the group is aimed at showcasing its fight against shrines, statues and artifacts of antiquity that it calls "false idols".

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community on March 8 to halt the destruction by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) of Iraqi archaeological sites, branding the smashing of priceless and ancient artifacts a "war crime".
      

The US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) must try to protect archaeological sites being destroyed by the jihadists, Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister said March 8.
      
ISIL smashed priceless artefacts at the Mosul museum, then bulldozed the city of Nimrud, which was founded in the 13th century BC.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has begun bulldozing the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq, the government said, in the jihadists' latest attack on the country's historical heritage.
      
IS "assaulted the historic city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy vehicles," the tourism and antiquities ministry said on an official Facebook page on Thursday.

Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova demanded Thursday that an emergency meeting of the Security Council of the organization is held immediately.

"This attack is far more than a cultural tragedy - this is also a security issue as it fuels sectarianism, violent extremism and conflict in Iraq," UNESCO chief Irina Bokova said in a statement.