ISIS systematically destroyed dozens of cultural and religious landmarks in Iraq: UN

The United Nations Investigative Team (UNITAD) has released a report detailing the extent of the destruction ISIS inflicted on cultural heritage sites in Iraq during its control over large parts of the country from June 2014 to August 2017.

According to the report, ISIS systematically targeted cultural and religious landmarks that it deemed incompatible with its extremist interpretation of Islam.

The report highlights that ISIS destroyed dozens of mosques, husseiniyas, and Islamic shrines, both Shia and Sunni, in addition to Yazidi sites and temples, as well as Christian churches and monasteries. Historical cemeteries, which represented a part of the shared heritage of all religious communities in northern Iraq, were also targeted.

The UN report clarifies that these systematic attacks were not merely random acts of violence but part of a deliberate policy aimed at eradicating cultural and religious heritage in the areas controlled by the organization.

The investigation team concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the damage and destruction inflicted on these sites amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The report emphasizes that this destruction not only represents a loss for Iraq but also for the entire international community, given the significance of these sites in documenting the diverse history and civilizations that coexisted throughout the ages in Iraq.