Daesh claims to raze ancient Iraqi temple

By Ibrahim Salah

BAGHDAD (AA) – Members of the Daesh terrorist group say they have blown up an ancient Temple of Nabu devoted to the Babylonian god of wisdom in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.

Photos of the destroyed temple went viral on Tuesday on pro-Daesh Twitter accounts.

The pictures, which were not dated, showed bulldozers razing sections of the historical site.

Iraq’s Temple of Nabu is located near the ancient city of Nimrud, which was destroyed by Daesh last year in an incident that UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova described as a "war crime".

In February of last year, a similar video released by the group appeared to show Daesh militants destroying ancient artifacts -- some of which dated as far back as the 8th century B.C. -- in the Mosul Museum.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since June 2014, when Daesh overran the city of Mosul and broad swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Mahmoud Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara.