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UN condemns ‘destruction’ of ancient Iraq city of Hatra

The United Nations' cultural body has condemned the “destruction” by the Islamic State jihadist group of Hatra, a stunning Roman period ancient fortress city in the Iraqi desert.

The destruction of the UNESCO world heritage site was reported two days after the Iraqi antiquities ministry said that IS bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, and a week after the jihadists released a tape of them smashing artefacts in the Mosul museum.

“The destruction of Hatra marks a turning point in the appalling strategy of cultural cleansing under way in Iraq,” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said yesterday.

Hatra is an extremely well-preserved city with a unique mix of eastern and western architecture, located in a desert area about 100 kilometres southwest of the northern jihadist hub of Mosul.
“Official sources on Sunday reported the destruction of the World Heritage property of Hatra,” the organisation said in a statement. It did not say when or how Hatra was destroyed. 
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