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.