Iraqi pro-government forces said Wednesday they had seized the UNESCO-listed ancient site of Hatra from the Islamic State group, the latest archaeological jewel to be wrested from the jihadists’ grip. Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces fighting IS around Iraq’s second city Mosul said they had “liberated the ancient city of Hatra… after fierce clashes … Read more
Iraqi forces advanced in west Mosul Tuesday, closing in on the Old City where jihadists executed civilians in a desperate bid to prevent an exodus and hold on to their stronghold. The elite Counter-Terrorism Service retook full control of Tenek — one of the largest neighbourhoods in west Mosul — further tightening the noose on … Read more
Iraqi forces on Tuesday launched a fresh push southwest of Mosul to retake the Hatra area, which includes a UN-listed World Heritage site, a statement said. The operation marks the latest phase of an offensive launched by the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces in parallel to the main assault on Mosul begun six months … Read more
Seven countries and an American donor on Monday pledged $75.5 million (70 million euros) to a UNESCO-backed fund aimed at protecting the world’s cultural heritage against war and terrorism. French President Francois Hollande hosted the gathering at the Louvre museum in Paris of influential art patrons and world leaders at the initiative of the UN … Read more
It was once home to priceless archaeological treasures, but these days you get into Mosul museum in Iraq’s second city via a gaping hole in the basement. In the darkness lies a pile of rubble — all that remains of two ancient Assyrian statues of winged bulls, smashed to pieces by Islamic State group jihadists. … Read more
Crawl through a labyrinth of narrow tunnels in near total darkness and suddenly they appear: two great winged bulls dating from the Assyrian empire found intact under the ground of Mosul. But as fighting rages to evict the Islamic State (IS) group from the main city in northern Iraq, it will be a race against … Read more
Iraqi security forces recaptured the Mosul museum, where Islamic State group militants infamously filmed themselves smashing priceless artefacts, police said on Tuesday. Iraqi forces “recaptured the archaeological museum,” Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying when this occurred. The museum was on a police list of sites recaptured from IS during … Read more
The city of Mosul is intertwined with human history, tracing its roots to 4,400 years ago when civilisation rose in fabled, fertile Mesopotamia. Today, as Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition inch forward in their fight to recover Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group, historians are looking at how to save, repair or … Read more
As Iraqi forces fight to take back Mosul from the Islamic State group, archaeologists trained by the British Museum are preparing for another battle — trying to save what they can of the city’s heritage. One of the world’s leading institutions for the study of ancient Iraq, the London museum has been training Iraqi experts … Read more
Iraqi soldiers drive into to Shahrezad village east of Mosul, Iraq Iraqi special forces said they pushed deeper into Mosul on Friday despite heavy resistance from Islamic State militants using civilians as cover, and were holding half a dozen city neighborhoods seized in the last 10 days. The elite Counter Terrorism Service troops broke through … Read more