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Islamic State says it has destroyed antiquities

Photos show militants taking hammers to busts

The Columbian
Published: July 4, 2015, 12:00am

BEIRUT — Islamic State group militants have destroyed six archaeological pieces from the historic town of Palmyra that were confiscated from a smuggler, the group said.

An IS statement, released late Thursday, said the six busts were found when the smuggler was stopped at a checkpoint. The issue was referred to an Islamic court in the IS-held northern Syrian town of Manbij, which ordered that they be destroyed and the man be whipped.

Photographs released by the group show IS militants destroying the busts with large hammers. Another photo shows the smuggler being whipped.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday it was unclear if the busts were authentic or if the militants destroyed fake busts as a cover for the IS group’s own antiquities smuggling.

While there is no firm evidence of the amount of money being made by the Islamic State group from looting antiquities, satellite photos and anecdotal evidence confirm widespread plundering of archaeological sites in areas under IS control.

IS captured the historic Syrian town of Palmyra in May from government forces. Many fear that the group will damage the town’s archaeological sites as they did in neighboring Iraq earlier this year.

Palmyra’s UNESCO world heritage site is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts. Before Syria’s conflict began in 2011, tens of thousands of tourists visited the remote desert outpost, a cherished landmark referred to by Syrians as the “Bride of the Desert.”

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