Report: ISIS Attack Third Ancient Iraqi City
The Iraqi government is investigating reports that ISIS have descended upon an ancient archaeological site at Khorsabad, according to the Associated Press. A Kurdish official from Mosul said that eyewitnesses reported that militants had begun demolishing the site on Sunday.
ISIS fighters have laid waste to two UNESCO world heritage sites—Hatra and Nimrud—in the last few days, which the AP reports UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon described as a "war crime."
Khorsabad was constructed as a new capital of Assyria by King Sargon II shortly after he came to power in 721 B.C. and abandoned after his death in 705 B.C. It features a 24-meter thick wall with a stone foundation and seven gates.
Since it was a single-era capital, few objects linked to Sargon II himself were found. However, the site is renowned for shedding light on Assyrian art and architecture.
The sculptured stone slabs that once lined the palace walls are now displayed in museums in Baghdad, Paris, London and Chicago.
On Sunday, Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister, Adel Shirshab, called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
"The world should bear the responsibility and put an end to the atrocities of the militants, otherwise I think the terrorist groups will continue with their violent acts," he said.
