Terrorists Abduct More Christians, Smash Ancient Artifacts

Islamic State terrorists seized more Christians from their homes in northeastern Syria in the past three days, bringing the total number abducted by the terrorist group to over 220, activists said Thursday.

At the same time, the terrorists also released a video showing the continued destruction of the heritage of the lands under their control. It depicted men using sledgehammers to smash ancient Mesopotamian statues and other artifacts in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul.

The video, coinciding with mounting fears over the fate of the captive Christian Assyrians in Syria, sent a fresh wave of dread across the region, particularly among minorities who feel targeted by the group.

“Daesh is wiping Assyrian heritage in Mosul, and at the same time wiping them geographically from the face of the Earth,” said Osama Edward, director of the Assyrian Network for Human Rights in Syria. He referred to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.

A professor at the Archaeology College in Mosul confirmed to the AP that the two sites depicted in the video are the city museum and a location known as Nirgal Gate, one of several gates to the capital of the Assyrian Empire, Nineveh.

Irina Bokova, director general of the U.N.’s culture agency UNESCO, said in a statement that she was “deeply shocked” at the video. She said she asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council be convened “on the protection of Iraq’s cultural heritage as an integral element for the country’s security.”

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the February 27th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.