Islamic State Says It Destroyed Ancient Relics in Mosul Museum
In this image made from video posted on a social media account affiliated with the Islamic State group on Feb. 26, 2015, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, a militant topples an ancient artifact in the Ninevah Museum in Mosul, Iraq. The extremist group has destroyed a number of shrines --including Muslim holy sites -- in order to eliminate what it views as heresy.
AP Photo via militant social media accountIslamist militants used sledgehammers and drills to smash ancient artifacts and statues in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, saying the relics were against the teachings of Islam, according to a video by Islamic State.
The five-minute video, posted on websites used by the jihadist group, shows several bearded men inside what’s identified as the Mosul Museum, breaking up large sculptures. In another scene, a man drills through the statue of a winged bull, an Assyrian protective deity, that was almost 3,000 years old.