WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States are greatly alarmed by the Islamic State’s (ISIL) recent destruction of Iraq’s ancient archaeological site of Nimrud, US Department of State Secretary John Kerry said in a statement.
“I am deeply disturbed by reports that ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] has extended its destruction of Iraq’s historical treasures to the ancient archeological site of Nimrud,” Kerry said on Friday.
The Secretary of State warned that no terrorist can “rewrite history” and ISIL’s attempt to erase the Nimrud heritage site “will ultimately fail.”
Last Thursday, the ISIL posted a video featuring its militants destroying a collection of antique statues and sculptures in Iraq's second largest museum in Mosul, which triggered widespread condemnation.
UNESCO condemned ISIL’s destruction of the archaeological site and called the act a “war crime.”
The city of Nimrud, once the capital of the Assyrian empire, is over 3,300 years old and is valued for its frescos and antique relics.
