ISIL Terrorists Destroy World Heritage Site in Iraq

Video footage produced by ISIL and published on a website frequently used by the terrorist group shows militants hammering away at priceless statues and shrines, wiping away artefacts that have survived over two millennia.

At one point a fighter takes aim at wall carvings with an AK47 assault rifle and pumps bullets into the priceless antiques.

UNESCO and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) condemned the barbarity in a joint statement.

The terror group reportedly destroyed Assyrian statues of winged bulls from the Mesopotamian cities of Nineveh and Nimrud, as well as 2000-year-old statues from Hatra.

The site was attacked last month by ISIL militants, according to residents and local officials, Press TV reported.

No clear estimate has been made on the extent of damage on the historic place as the city is located in the territory which is under the control of ISIL.

ISIL has already destroyed other notable sites in the territory north of Iraq. Back in March, the terrorists bulldozed the 3,000-year-old city of Nimrud, one of the world's most important historical sites. The destruction triggered worldwide condemnation, with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling it a "war crime".

Another video in late February showed ISIL terrorists destroying the ancient artifacts at a major museum in the northern city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh and one of the group's major strongholds in Iraq. The terrorists also burned hundreds of priceless books and manuscripts in Mosul Library and Mosul University in January.

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